Atletico Madrid star concerns fans with comments on future – ‘We’ll talk when it’s time to talk’
· Yahoo Sports
Atletico Madrid captain Koke Resurreccion has concerned fans by failing to give a decisive answer on his future this summer. The 34-year-old has a rolling contract at Atletico, but has again been among their best players this season, earning a starting spot in midfield.
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Following their Champions League elimination at the hands of Arsenal, Koke took the responsibility to speak to the press in the flash interview after the game. He was frustrated with their inability to take their chances.
“We’re gutted, but I’m proud of the team. We gave it our all. We had chances, but the ball just wouldn’t go in. The same thing happened in the first leg. We put them under pressure at many points. Football is about clinical finishing, and they were more clinical. Deserved winners,” he told Movistar+.
“At the Metropolitano and here, we had chances to take the lead and then to equalize. That’s football; you have to be clinical in both penalty areas.”
‘The group is growing, this season is encouragaging’ – Koke
Like Jan Oblak, who also expressed his frustration with their first half performances, Koke was largely positive about the season as a whole.
“That we tried. When you give it your all and the ball doesn’t go in, you can’t complain.” The team went for the win, but it wasn’t to be,” he commented on Diego Simeone’s speech, before assessing the season as a whole.
“Very encouraging, especially in the Cup and Champions League. In La Liga, we haven’t been consistent; we haven’t been at the level we should be. We’ve dropped points in matches where we should have won. We were consistent in the Copa. In the Cup, we came very close, losing on penalties, and here we were just a hair’s breadth away from reaching the final. The group is growing, with very young players, and I’m sure that in the very near future they’ll be fighting for important things, and we’ll try to help them.”
Koke avoids giving clear answer on his future
The veteran midfielder was more successful in biting his tongue on the officating during the game than Simeone. While few took Simeone’s declaration that ‘Today, no [I don’t have the strength to continue]’ to be a clear indication of his future, the tone of Koke’s answer on his future sparked concern among the Atletico fanbase that it may be the final few weeks of his Atletico career.
“We’ll talk when we need to talk, but… That’s it,” Atletico’s leading appearance-maker explained. Los Colchoneros are already set to lose Antoine Griezmann this summer, and have a midfield succession plan in place with Marcos Llorente, Johnny Cardoso, Pablo Barrios, Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas giving Simeone options. There is little doubt that Koke has been one of their best performers over the past few months though.