Atalanta have gotten off to a strong transfer campaign with the recent signing of Argentinian wall and goalkeeper Juan Musso. While there were some media rumblings prior to the deal being announced, for the football world it really was a quick and painless deal, leaving minimal nuggets for the media to latch onto and twist into a soap opera.
Essentially it was the perfect transfer; done and dusted quickly with minimal controversy to muddy the waters. If only all transfers were like this….
Conversely, Atalanta’s other hotly rumored target, AZ’s Teun Koopmeiners, has been all over the map – with some ‘journalists’ even going as far to say that a deal and announcement were imminent. Now it looks like we have taken a few steps back with Gazzetta dello Sport recently report that Atalanta and AZ are still some ways apart in finding a middle ground. Knowing this, it has to raise the question – were the two sides ever even close to reaching an accord? And did unsubstantial media stories distort the reality of the situation?
I’ve heard people say it before, and I firmly believe it, transfer rumors are the original fake news. Often perpetuated for likes and follows, people are willing to do anything it seems for a click. For me, this current episode with Koopmeiners stings. I got my hopes up for a young midfielder of already supreme quality, and for all we know AZ and Atalanta may have barely reached the inquiry stage of try to iron out a transfer. With subsequent rumors now surfacing that Atalanta are now keen on Milan’s young midfielder Tommaso Pobega, perhaps La Dea’s interest is indeed waning or never even reached a place that you can wane from.
Now I don’t feel the possibility of Atalanta signing Koopmeiners is dead – I think it’s more likely that the deal was never as far as long as some would like us to believe it was. A lot can still happen between now and deadline day, and with not knowing what to believe, three scenarios – of all different probabilities – seem the most likely to me.
1. The Clubs are Too Far Apart, and Atalanta Goes With Pobega As Plan B – Medium Probability
Early rumors suggested that AZ was asking 20-22M Euros, and Atalanta were offering ~18M Euros plus bonuses. At a high level the figures don’t seem so egregiously far off that negotiations would be halted – but the 2M Euro difference for Eredivisie clubs is still a significant amount of cash that can be immediately injected into the club, and would be imprudent to leave on the table. Koopmeiners has got to be worth the additional 2M Euro splurge, but smarter people than me may think otherwise, and are ready to cut bait and go with a more affordable consolation prize.
La Dea don’t NEED a midfield starter next year, and may see 20M for Koopmeiners as too expensive for a rotation player still slotted behind de Roon and Freuler. Pobega at half the value of Koopmeiners may be more reasonable as a rotation option who still has high upside to grow into a starter, and may be the logic behind Atalanta’s ultimate rationale. It makes sense, but it stings still to be knocked down a few pegs back to reality.
2. Atalanta Uses Pobega As a Hardball Tactic To Try and Lower AZ’s Asking Price – Low Probability
A bit of a twist on scenario 1, yet Atalanta instead pulls out Pobega as a bargaining chip to try and force AZ’s hand to meet La Dea in the middle. The least likely of the thre scenarios, it seems like a very risky roll of the dice and ungeniune. You can never say never when it comes to football, but I cannot envision Atalanta trying to muscle another team working within the constraints of a much smaller budget.
3. Both Sides Were Never Close And The True Reality of The Situation Is Finally Coming to Light – Highest Probability
This feels boring, but the true answer is often the middle ground and not nearly as exciting and dramatic as we may want. Given Koopmeiners’s quality and the ability he’d have to slot into many other sides across Europe, it feels more logical that we are just in the midst of a long process for a player with many suitors. Atalanta very well could still be the front runners for the Dutchman, but it would also be foolish to think AZ would negotiate solely with one club.
This scenario feels the most probable to me. And now in retrospect with social media blowing up the original rumors; everyone, including me, put the cart before the horse and forgot transfers are not easy and take time. Now we’re just at the logical point of where a transfer negotiation for a quality player should be, and it’ll just be a wait and see if Atalanta comes out on top. I envision La Dea still have the ability to sign him, I think it comes down to if the club is willing to placate AZ.
As I already stated, I wish every transfer was as clean-cut as the Musso one; no hype leading up to the deal, and boom a team announcement. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world with 24/7 news readily available to consume, so we’re stuck sifting through garbage trying to find gold. The Koopmeiners saga has been the perfect example. While I’m cautiously optomistic that there may be gold at the end of the tunnel, I have definitely been resoundingly reminded that patience is the name of the game when it comes to deals and contracts. We’ll always set ourselves up for disappointment going ham at every store that pops up on Twitter, and it takes incredible discipline to curb expectations. Let’s watch with a cautious eye, and hope that a deal can still be done, because Koopmeiners definitely seems worth the additional few million Atalanta may need to nab him.
