Atletico Madrid aren’t messing about this summer in the pursuit of a big-name striker, with recent reports claiming Los Rojiblancos have bid for four of the best No. 9s in Europe.

With Fernando Torres set to sign a new deal, per Marca, and Antoine Griezmann having already done so, Atleti are looking for a new first-choice centre-forward to complement their French star and push their homegrown hero into maintaining his good form from the end of 2015-16—as well as make up for the disappointing returns of last summer’s signings, Luciano Vietto and Jackson Martinez. 

To that end, Diego Simeone and the Atleti board have been identifying players who could perform much better once the 2016-17 campaign gets underway, with huge offers going in for stars from all over Europe.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reported (h/t Marca) Inter Milan recently rejected an Atletico bid of just under €50 million for Mauro Icardi, while Marca reported there are a further three offers on the table, one for each of Gonzalo Higuain, Diego Costa and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Naturally, ongoing discussions will inevitably lead to only one of the quartet being chosen—or indeed being allowed to move—so who would suit Atletico best, both for this coming season and beyond?

 

Stat Watch

Each of the four strikers was first choice at his club last term, but Chelsea‘s Costa was the only one who wasn’t both invaluable and impressive. A former Atletico striker, he is known to Simeone and is an easy link back to Atleti, but his performances in 2015-16 were well below the expectation of him and also below the level of his rivals in this particular transfer tussle.

Costa was left out of the Spain squad for UEFA Euro 2016. Icardi also missed out on Argentina’s Copa America Centenario squad—but given his competition and age, it’s rather more understandable. One of those competitors was Higuain, who was in the squad and played a central role in Argentina’s run to the final.

Icard played the fewest minutes in 2015-16, with Inter not in any European competition, but all four targets were within 600 minutes of each other in terms of league play, making comparisons extremely worthwhile. Atletico No. 7 Griezmann is included as reference.

Pure totals give a good indication of the relentless ability of the strikers to hit the back of the net or beat men compared to how often they perform the other actions. But for a man-to-man comparison, it’s more beneficial to consider a per-90 minutes comparison, allowing for the discrepancy in game time.

While it’s marginally interesting to note Griezmann doesn’t win in any of these key areas, he was also the only one of the quintet to play a different role last season, featuring on the wing for Atletico either from the start or because of in-game switches at times. The player Atleti sign is intended to complement, not displace, Griezmann, so filling the areas in which he is lacking—getting shots away inside the penalty box more regularly for example—is the key to identifying the new signing.

Unsurprisingly, the two with the greatest number of shots are the two who averaged around a goal per game.

With Barcelona and Real Madrid both having players capable of hitting that mark, it’s imperative Atletico find their own star who could achieve the same.

 

Style and System

Atletico aren’t an all-out-attack team and won’t be even if they break their transfer record (€40 million) to sign a world-class striker.

The new face will have to operate within the constraints and work ethic of the rest of the team, utilising intelligent movement and clinical finishing to add to what Atletico already have in the offensive third of the pitch. Chances are there for a goalscorer to shine; Yannick Carrasco and Angel Correa bring trickery and pace, and Koke, Saul Niguez and others in midfield offer creativity.

Atletico lack a killer touch in the box, or someone to instinctively be on the shoulder of the defence to make the most of quick breaks, defensive errors or long periods of attacking possession that are frustrated by the noncommittal approach of the deeper players to burst beyond the forward line.

Costa and Aubameyang are, quite comfortably, the best of the four at working the channels, running beyond and between defenders and providing an out ball for the team. What they do once in possession in those areas is extremely different, however: Costa will drive at defences, dribble and barge his way past challenges and try to give his team-mates time to join in from deep, while Aubameyang is more inclined to head straight toward the penalty area.

Pace, exploitation of space and confidence make for an explosive mix in a striker, and the Borussia Dortmund forward has each attribute in abundance.

Higuain is not just about his penalty-box play, but he is a natural predator who has the team built for him at Napoli and who enjoyed the season of his life in 2015-16.

His haul of 36 goals in 35 games was impressive, but so too was the variance in the goals he scored. One common theme of his strikes was an ability to move off the back of defenders, running behind them to catch them unaware and rattle a quick strike in with either foot.

Elsewhere, though, four came from outside the box, two were superb individual goals—particular his effort against Frosinone in May—and seven came from sprinting across the face of goal and scoring inside the six-yard box.

While Costa and Aubameyang play the full width of the pitch, Icardi and Higuain are far more likely to stay in the lines of the penalty area, true central strikers—exactly what Atleti require, with Griezmann the roaming forward and the wide players cutting inside when the team switches to 4-3-3.

 

Best Pick

The Marca report suggested the offers for Costa, Higuain and Aubameyang are all similar and between €50 million and €60 million. In age, only Icardi breaks the mould, being 23, with Higuain at 28 and the other two 27.

There are other factors to consider. Owner Miguel Angel Gil has said he has to control risks when spending huge sums, per Marca. And as reported by German outlet Bild (h/t F365), after considering his options, Aubameyang has opted to stay with BVB. Higuain, by contrast, has had his agent, Nicolas Higuain, openly speak on Italian station Radio Continental (h/t Marca) about his resistance to signing a new deal at Napoli after promises of silverware were not met.

Atleti desperately need a player to come in and make an immediate impact, a player at his peak who has no big fitness issues, a history of huge goal hauls and with the work rate to quickly adapt to the side.

Of the four, Higuain fits the bill near perfectly, perhaps aside from a lack of dominant aerial prowess, where Icardi and Costa are standouts. Either Argentinian would be a superb signing for Los Colchoneros, but it’s Higuain who is in his prime, most likely to be available for a move and who would guarantee goals—and another shot at winning La Liga.

 

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