Atlético de Madrid strengthens its attack for the new season

The signings of Colombian Jackson Martínez and Argentine Luciano Vietto, along with the continuity of French Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres, make up a powerful attack for the new season at Atlético de Madrid, with four forwards who scored 82 goals during the past season.

No longer with Croatian Mario Mandzukic, who scored twenty goals in his first and only season with the team and was transferred to Juventus, and waiting to see what happens with Mexican Raúl Jiménez, who could be loaned out this summer and scored a goal with Atlético in 2014-15, the club already has its new quartet of forwards formed.

Jackson Martínez, for whom Atlético will exercise the €35 million release clause, as announced by Oporto a week ago, was the most productive of all, with thirty goals for the Portuguese club across all competitions during the last season, in which he also provided five assists.

All in 41 matches, according to official UEFA data, 38 of them from the starting eleven of coach Julen Lopetegui, his coach during the past season, in which he also played in the Champions League. Jackson scored seven goals in eight matches in the European tournament. His team was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

Also joining the club is Argentine Luciano Vietto from Villarreal, one of the forwards who caused a sensation during the last season in Spanish football in his first year at the Castellón club, scoring twenty goals in the Europa League and the League, in 48 matches, 29 of them as a starter.

Both join Frenchman Antoine Griezmann and Fernando Torres. The former arrived at the Vicente Calderón stadium a year ago from Real Sociedad, in exchange of €30 million, while the latter returned to Atlético seven years later last January, on loan for two years from Milan, with whom he scored a goal.

He scored six more goals in the second half of the season with Atlético de Madrid, some of them essential for his team's third-place finish in the league, as were many of the goals contributed by Griezmann, who ended the season as the top scorer for the red and white team, ahead of Mandzukic.

The French international, in that advanced position near the area, devised by Argentine Diego Simeone and in which the player established himself in the middle of the season, finished last season with 25 goals, 22 of them in the league. Nineteen of them were scored in the final five months of the tournament.

Mexican Raúl Jiménez and Argentine Angel Correa complete Atlético's current list of forwards for the new season, although it remains to be seen whether one or both of them stay at the club or go out on loan to accumulate more minutes.