Spanish Media: Simeone Still Has Faith in Lemar But Will Sell Him if He Fails to Recover His Level

According to Spanish media Esto es Atleti, Atlético de Madrid’s manager Diego Simeone still has faith in the 28-year-old French star Thomas Lemar and hopes that he can at least enter the rotation squad by next month. However, if the player is unable to regain his form before the winter transfer window opens, Atlético may also push him into the transfer market.

Lemar suffered a severe injury, an Achilles tendon rupture, last September, which kept him away from the pitch for over a year after surgery. His last appearance was during the 0-3 loss to Valencia at the Mestalla Stadium. Now that Lemar has recovered from his injury, he is working hard on his rehabilitation training, aiming to continue playing a significant role at Atlético in the future. Every day when he wakes up to train, he firmly believes that he can become an important player under Simeone once again.

The Argentine coach believes that Lemar can recover, although everyone knows that the issue is not that simple. Ideally, Lemar could enter the rotation squad next month, allowing him to participate in Copa del Rey matches, which are of slightly lower intensity and very suitable for players returning from long-term injuries.

A few days ago, Simeone said at a press conference, “We hope he recovers in the best way possible and returns to our team as the Lemar we are used to seeing.”

However, according to Spanish media, if Lemar still fails to recover his level before winter, he will be pushed into the transfer market by Atlético. Unless Lemar can renew his contract – and this renewal must be under conditions very favorable to the club but different for the player (note: meaning a pay cut). When Atlético signed Lemar, they spent 72 million euros in transfer fees, and the club does not believe that this investment has yielded substantial returns.