(UPDATED) Transfer Rumor: Atlanta United pursuing Atletico Madrid's Koke
Silly season fodder or real smoke?
UPDATE - 6/28: Doug Roberson reports that Atlanta United and Koke have mutual interest in getting a get done.
Silly season is kicking into high gear this week. We’ve already seen two legitimate reports linking Atlanta United to center backs. Now we have an interesting nugget out of Spain suggesting they could be trying to lure in a defensive midfielder.
According to Madrid-based outlet MARCA, the Five Stripes are trying to convince Atletico Madrid legend Koke to join them. They say that respected journalist Mateo Moretto went on local radio and said that Atlanta are trying to convince the 34-year-old midfielder to leave Atleti this summer and join them.
…"an MLS team has just inquired with Koke's representatives about his situation and the terms of his potential departure." The Italian journalist clearly explained the current situation: "The team is Atlanta United. They are trying to convince Koke to leave Atlético de Madrid immediately ."
On the surface, this both makes sense and is a bit questionable. The team has been in the market for a No. 6 for a while now. So, someone like Koke fits exactly what they are looking for.
However, financially is where things seem murky. The team has all three DP spots currently filled. Would a player of Koke’s pedigree accept a contract under the DP threshold? Could the team be willing to offload a current DP to make room?
There are too many questions to treat this less-than-concrete rumor too seriously. However, it’s still worthy of discussion since it’s a legitimate source reporting the link.
Personally, I wouldn’t put a ton of stock into this until a more substantial link is presented. The most interesting part of all this is that the team is even being put into a rumor like this for a well-known player. Usually they are linked to players from South America or Europe that are under the radar. Is this Mauricio Culebro’s influence beginning to take hold?
Let’s see if anything else materializes with this. For now, it’s nice to have something to talk and dream about.
If the team isn’t willing to unload a current DP to fix the roster this season then what are we even doing here? How much of a sample size do they need to show that the current plan ain’t working? Is this the right player to make that move for? I leave that analysis to y’all.
I mean, he's 34.. 🤷