What Is Going on With The Rest of Atalanta’s Transfer Window?

Amid all the swirling rumors among our strikers, the silence is much more deafening when you drop back one step on the patch. What exactly is going on with the midfield? Teun Koopmeiners seemed like a slam dunk prior to the Euros, and here we are two months later, and the rumor mill has never been quieter for the AZ captain.

So quiet even that other midfield names have starting popping up this week, including Borussia Monchengladbach’s Denis Zakaria and RC Lens’s Cheick Doucoure. While both of these guys are interesting names, neither compare to the excitement that surrounds the young Dutchman. As more and more days pass one can help but start to wonder if a deal will ever get done. Sure the transfer deadline isn’t for another three weeks, but with AZ’s Eredivisie season starting next week, and Atalanta’s the week after – it is a bit nerve wracking that there has been no progress on a move coming to fruition. On the positive side Atalanta has gotten deals done quickly this window, so it ain’t over until September hits or an announcement comes from a rival team.

What Do We Know (Or At Least What We Think We Know)?

– AZ’s asking price is 20M Euros
– Personal terms between the club and player have been agreed upon
– There’s looks to be a minor quibble between Atalanta and AZ (some say Atalanta have offered 18M or 15M + 3M in bonuses)
-Atalanta isn’t the only team looking to secure Koopmeiner’s services with both Roma and Rennes in the mix

What Comes Next?

One way or another Koopmeiners is probably on the move this summer. But what route leads him to Atalanta? Internet sentiment seems to think that Atalanta is the ultimate destination, and perhaps we just need to sit on our hands. So here are some theories on why this is may be dragging on so long.

Atalanta and AZ Cannot Agree On a Price

This feels ridiculous, and I cannot imagine Atalanta not being able to find an additional 2M euros to satisfy AZ’s demands. Considering some of Atalanta’s recent financial decisions or musings (Kovalenko’s salary, and the thought of giving Tammy Abraham 40M euros), it feels beyond shrewd and just cheap for both clubs to not come to an agreement.

Atalanta Is Giving AZ a Hand in It’s Push for European Group Stages

AZ has Europa League playoff clashes on August 19th and August 26th to advance into the Group Stages. Perhaps Atalanta is letting AZ keep it’s captain for one last push into the groups so the club can eke out a few more dollars from UEFA this year and inject cash into it’s rebuild (the same could also be possible for Malmo and Ahmedhozic).

There Are Unforeseen Challenges in International Transfers This Summer

On one hand this seems plausible given all of Atalanta’s transfers so far have been domestic, and the one that have stalled have been international, yet there are plenty of rumors of international transfers going through without a problem (Donyell Malen to Dortmund sticks out the most). There were challenges securing Joakim Maehle last summer, and perhaps there’s some quirk that’s forcing a delay in an Eredivisie to Serie A transfer.

Transfers Are Difficult To Complete

Transfers doing take minutes to complete like you’re playing football manager. There’s a bunch of dynamic variables that Atalanta have to consider. Not least of which is what is gonna happen with Duvan, Lucho, and Palomino…

What Is The Reality?

Ultimately the final one of these scenarios is probably true, and we just have to accept the difficulty that comes with the transfer market. Especially when we’re talking about a player of Koopmeiners’s quality that is being looked at by multiple clubs in multiple leagues, AZ wants to get the best deal possible for it’s asset. However, it is encouraging that most of the goodness surrounding Teun is in Atalanta’s court, I still won’t feel good until I see a jersey reveal on Atalanta’s Twitter account. This article was more of a way to vent and cope with the languidness of this saga. Until then, let’s try to be as patient as possible! Forza Dea!