Simeone: “I Want Griezman and Alvarez to Stay!”

Diego Simeone, Atletico Madrid’s passionate Argentine boss, isn’t mincing words he wants to keep his dynamic duo, Antoine Griezman and Julian Alvarez, locked in for the long haul despite swirling rumors of their potential exits.

Speaking after Saturday’s gritty 1-0 Copa del Rey win over Oviedo, Simeone lit up over Alvarez’s dramatic 94th-minute winner, calling him “a key player for us” with “beautiful football” in his arsenal, even as big clubs circle like sharks. Plenty of teams are sniffing around the young Argentine star, but Simeone’s clear: he’s thrilled to have him now and hopes he’ll pour everything into the Colchoneros’ fight.

On Griezmann, the gaffer was equally fired up, praising the French maestro’s second-half fire and hunger: “Looking at the enthusiasm and determination he showed, we need him just like that.” It was that same tenacity that fueled Atletico’s narrow triumph on Oviedo’s home turf in the Spanish Cup’s round of 16, a result that keeps their trophy dreams alive and Simeone’s vision crystal clear hold onto your stars, because this squad’s just hitting its stride.