Atlético in talks with Omar Mascarell, 32-year-old Mallorca midfielder | OneFootball

Atlético has begun negotiations to sign midfielder Omar Mascarell, 32 years old. The information was first reported by journalist Guilherme Frossard. Born in Spain and a defender for the Equatorial Guinea national team, the player currently belongs to Mallorca, Spain, and emerges as a potential reinforcement for one of the main gaps in the alvinegro squad: the defensive midfielder position.

Mascarell started his football journey in the youth ranks of Real Madrid. Despite his training at the merengue club, the midfielder played only one match for the main team, gaining more professional experience at Real Madrid Castilla, the club's B team. From there, he built a solid career in European football, playing for Derby County in England, Sporting Gijón in Spain, Eintracht Frankfurt and Schalke 04 in Germany, as well as Elche, before joining Mallorca in 2023.

In the current season, Mascarell has played 16 matches, scoring one goal and providing one assist. Mallorca currently occupies the 17th position in the Spanish Championship, with 21 points from 21 games, directly fighting against relegation.

Characteristics on the field

On the field, the midfielder's main characteristic is strong marking and ball recovery ability. Mascarell has never stood out for offensive presence or high numbers of goals and assists. In the current season, the athlete averages 36 passes every 90 minutes, with a success rate of 86%.

The potential arrival of the Spaniard addresses a clear need for Atlético. In recent games, coach Jorge Sampaoli has been using Maycon or Alan Franco in an improvised manner as the defensive midfielder, a role that is not the original position for either, as both naturally play more as central midfielders.

Despite his experience and the desired profile, Mascarell does not have a recent history of seasons with a high volume of games. In the last four complete seasons, the maximum number of matches played in a year was 34, recorded in the 2023/24 and 2024/25 seasons. The period in which he played the most as a starter was in 2022/23, when he started 29 games in the starting eleven.

Watch the video below by journalist Felipe Barros to learn a little more about the player:

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.