Alvarez must learn from failed Atletico exit: Simeone

Julian Alvarez will return to Atletico Madrid's squad against Athletic Club tonight after his failed attempt to leave the club, with Diego Simeone describing the episode as a “learning experience” for the striker.

The Argentina international missed Atletico training for two days last week because of illness after being told the club would not allow him to join Barcelona.

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A move to Arsenal appeared to be the remaining option for Alvarez, but talks failed to produce a deal before the transfer deadline.

The 26-year-old has since returned to training and will be available for Saturday's La Liga meeting with Athletic Club in Bilbao after sitting out Atletico's defeat at Sevilla last weekend.

“Julian Alvarez will be in the squad tomorrow,” Simeone said. “He's training well, and we expect the best from him, just as we do from all his team-mates.”

The Atletico boss urged Alvarez to move forward rather than dwell on the events of the past week.

“For me, life is full of opportunities. And Julian now has an opportunity,” Simeone said.

“A lot of the time, we spend our lives judging, and we need to worry about doing that less and learning more. I hope this has served as a learning experience for him.”

Simeone also referred to a message from Atletico director of football Paulo Futre, saying he hoped Alvarez could respond on the pitch.

“I hope he's happy and, as Futre told him yesterday in a lovely video, that he shows it by scoring goals,” he added.

The situation became increasingly public last week, with Atletico issuing two statements within 24 hours making it clear that Alvarez would not be allowed to leave for Barcelona.

The Madrid club were more receptive to the possibility of selling him to Arsenal, however, and held talks directly with the Premier League champions.

Simeone had already said he would “do everything” possible to ensure Alvarez felt important when he returned to the squad.

The striker joined Atletico from Manchester City in 2024 in a deal worth around £81m and has since scored 49 goals in 107 appearances.

Despite his strong individual numbers, Alvarez is still waiting for his first trophy with Atletico.

Now, after a turbulent few days and a transfer saga that never produced a move, he has the chance to put the episode behind him.