Earthquake at Atletico Madrid: Search to replace Diego Simeone has begun | OneFootball

Atletico Madrid are indelibly tied to Diego Simeone and vice versa, but the process to disentangle their links has begun, according to the latest from the Spanish capital.

Only once before in his 13 years at the club have the Rojiblancos considered replacing El Cholo, but Relevo assure that the process is underway to sign his successor. They say that he has gradually been losing power since new Director of Football Carlos Bucero arrived at the club 10 months ago. At the club, the feeling is that his figure is becoming worn down after so many years, and he is struggling to get the best out of his players.

One of the key signs of that is that Sporting Director Andrea Berta is expected to leave at the end of the season, and is no longer in charge of many of the duties that he used to carry out, nor is he allowed in the dressing room. Berta has been Simeone’s right-hand man, and while Simeone used to have absolute power at the club, Bucero’s presence has watered that down.

Although he signed a new deal until 2027 just last year, that was in part to spread out his large salary. For the 2023-24 season, he was due to earn €45m gross, and over the course of 2024-2027, his total pay would be over €100m.

There are three things keeping him at the club currently. Firstly, they would need to come to an agreement on his salary, as they do not want to pay out his contract. Secondly, they would like Simeone to take the first step, as they feel he has earned the right to decide, and thirdly, the owners of the club are looking to sell in the near future, and had been negotiating with Simeone as part of the package.