Atletico Madrid head coach Diego Simeone has reportedly informed the Spanish club’s CEO Miguel Angel Gil Marin that he will be leaving this summer.
The 52-year-old has been in charge of the Red and Whites since 2011, and he has had a highly-successful spell at the helm, winning two La Liga titles, the Copa del Rey, the Spanish Super Cup, two Europa League trophies and two UEFA Super Cups.
Simeone has also led Atletico to two Champions League finals, with the capital giants losing to rivals Real Madrid in both 2014 and 2016.The Argentine has a contract at Wanda Metropolitano until June 2024, but according to journalist Paco Garcia, Simeone has informed the club that he will not be continuing in his role for the 2023-24 season.
“Simeone will not continue at Atleti in the coming season. He has told Gil Marin that he will leave,” Garcia told El Chiringuito.Atletico suffered a 1-0 loss to Barcelona in La Liga on Sunday, with the defeat leaving them in fifth position in the table, boasting 27 points from their opening 16 matches.
The Madrid giants are only three points clear of eighth-placed Osasuna, while they are now 14 points behind leaders Barcelona and 11 behind second-placed Real Madrid.
Atletico are still in the Copa del Rey, with the team set to take on Levante in the last-16 stage of the competition on January 18.
However, Simeone’s side do not have any European football in the second half of the campaign, as they finished bottom of their Champions League group.Atletico only picked up five points from their six Group B matches, which saw them finish fourth in the section behind Porto, Club Brugge and Bayer Leverkusen.In total, Simeone has taken charge of 603 matches for Atletico, boasting a record of 353 wins, 140 draws and 110 defeats.
The former midfielder started his managerial career at Racing Club in 2006, while he has also been in charge of Estudiantes, River Plate, San Lorenzo and Catania.
Atletico will be back in La Liga action against Almeria on January 15, three days before their Copa del Rey clash with Levante, and the month will then end with league games against Real Valladolid and Osasuna.
Simeone has been linked with a move to the Premier League over the last few seasons, while there is also likely to be interest from Italy if he leaves Wanda Metropolitano this summer.
