Manchester City saw a handful of players leave the club during the previous summer transfer window.
The biggest departure from the Etihad Stadium saw Julian Alvarez bring an end to his two years with Pep Guardiola’s side and join Atletico Madrid in a deal worth a reported fee of £81m (via BBC Sport) in August.
Back in July, Alvarez told the media that he was annoyed by the fact that he didn’t start in some of City’s biggest games last season.
Having now spent over a month at the Spanish club, one of his new teammates and fellow countryman has shared some details about the former City star’s switch from Manchester to Madrid.
- Who is Julian Alvarez? The story of the striker who won it all at Man City before joining Atletico Madrid
Rodrigo De Paul discusses Julian Alvarez’s move from Man City to Atletico Madrid
In a recent interview with CNN Espanol, Rodrigo De Paul said this about Alvarez and his move from City to Atletico.
He said: “We sent some messages. But I think it also speaks of Julian, of his personality and hunger, of his desire to challenge himself.
“Because you think that Julian is a 24-year-old person who has won everything; the Champions League, the Copa Libertadores, the Copa America, the World Cup where he played, he won everything and he is not satisfied, right?
“I say that, it is wanting to push the limits, understanding that there is always a little more.
“So, this challenge that he takes on and that is not easy, because the expectations of Atletico Madrid, which is normal for a player of his quality, are very high.
“And he changed this by having found a place in Manchester of tranquillity and knowing that they have a great team. He wants, he always wants a little more.
“So, I think it speaks of who he is, his mentality, his hunger and well, we, at least I as a teammate in the national team, will try to help him achieve what he came looking for, which are titles.”
Alvarez took a gamble leaving City
In his time at the Manchester club, Alvarez scored 36 goals, delivered 18 assists and won multiple trophies across 103 games.
Since becoming an Atletico player, the striker has started three of the five La Liga games he’s appeared in, scoring his first and only goal in their recent 3-0 win over Valencia.
As De Paul mentioned himself here, Alvarez revealed that his fellow Argentine and some other players in Atletico’s squad were messaging him about joining them at the Spanish club in the build-up to the deal being made official.
Having left serial winners like City to join Atletico, this suggests that Alvarez may find winning titles not as regular in Madrid as it was for him in Manchester.
