Atletico Madrid have completed the signing of Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel on a free transfer, confirms Fabrizio Romano. Diego Simeone’s side are eager to strengthen their midfield line and have identified the experienced 33-year-old as a good fit for the squad.
Atletico Madrid Sign Axel Witsel
Axel Witsel Roped in as Hector Herrera’s Replacement
Atletico Madrid are seeking replacements for midfielder Hector Herrera, who joined MLS side Houston Dynamo towards the end of last season. The La Liga giants have a full agreement in place with Witsel to join them before the start of pre-season training.
The Belgian midfielder will sign a one-year contract with the club and the paperwork around the deal is already prepared, with only the player’s signature and medical tests remaining.
Atletico Madrid are now progressing in talks to sign Axel Witsel on a free transfer, as per @RTBFsport. He had talks with Olympique Marseille but it was not fully agreed. ⚪️🔴 #Atleti
Atletico are waiting for final green light from Witsel on contract details. Work in progress. pic.twitter.com/zTbWVkFbkR
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 18, 2022
Diego Simeone believes that Witsel can be an ideal fit for his team, which has earned a bad reputation for their defensive, physical style in recent years. He believes the hard-working midfielder can add more variety to his midfield line and help Atletico strongly challenge for the La Liga title next season.
Atletico Set to Get a Surge of Experience in 33-Year-Old Midfielder
Axel Witsel might be nearing the end of his career, but he has been playing at the top level of European football for over a decade now. The most recent club Witsel played for was Borussia Dortmund from 2018 until the end of last season. He made over 100 appearances for them and regularly featured in the Champions League.
The 33-year-old has over 100 international caps for Belgium and is brimming with experience and knowledge. His playing style is also one that would compliment Atletico’s, as Witsel’s an energetic figure who loves to run around midfield harassing oppositions with crunching tackles and recover the ball for his team.
He can also move the ball forward efficiently and is quite prolific in set-piece scenarios as well. Despite this, Witsel is unlikely to be used as a first-team regular because of the presence of Koke, Rodrigo De Paul and Marcos Llorente or even the returning Saul Niguez at Atletico.
However, he can still make a solid impact whenever called upon and be a smart option to bring on from the bench to defuse the pressure during games and help seal wins for Simeone’s side.
