This summer can be considered one of the most exciting for Atlético de Madrid fans in a long time. The sporting management is closing the signings that were necessary to give the squad a leap in quality compared to last season. In addition, Simeone is giving opportunities to the younger players who want to become important pieces for the next campaign.
One of them is Ilias Kostis , who is gaining a lot of prominence this summer by adding minutes on the pitch. Right now, the future of the Greek centre-back is very uncertain, with numerous possibilities on the table before the market closes. For the moment, he is convincing Simeone with his performances on the pitch, although he still has challenges ahead.
Ilias Kostis wants to earn his place
Surely, many Atlético de Madrid fans lost track of the youth player after suffering a serious injury last season. He made his official debut against Feyenoord at the Metropolitano, having the opportunity to play the last few minutes. Now, it seems that Ilias Kostis is gaining Simeone's trust thanks to his good performances in the last friendlies .
In the victories against Numancia and Getafe , the Argentine coach opted for him to start as a left-footed centre-back in defence. In fact, he has even outperformed Reinildo in the trials that the red-and-white team has carried out during training this summer. In the last match in Hong Kong, he started as a substitute, but he still has a good chance of staying in the first team .
For now, the Colchoneros' priority is still to get a new defender to replace Mario Hermoso . However, it still remains to be seen who will be his replacement in a season where more games than usual will be played. Ilias Kostis is leaving a very good impression, surpassing Reinildo, whose contract will end next year in 2025 .
One last test
Atletico Madrid will face their last pre-season friendly this Sunday against Juventus in Sweden. That will be Simeone's last test before the season begins with a difficult away match against Villarreal . It will be key to see what the coach's initial approach is and which players he is betting on as starters .
With the squad still to be finalised, if Ilias Kostis manages to start in defence again, he has a good chance of being at La Cerámica . For now, the signing of David Hancko remains very complicated due to the high financial demands of Feyenoord . On the other hand, if the Slovak option falls through, the red-and-whites will have to start negotiating for one of their alternatives.