Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone has ended speculation linking him with a move to Manchester City by signing a new contract to stay at the Vicente Calderon until 2020.
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The 44-year-old Argentine has become one of the hottest coaching properties in the world after a remarkably glorious three years in charge at Atletico, leading the club to La Liga, Copa del Rey and Europa League titles as well as last season’s Champions League final, which they were on the verge of winning until Sergio Ramos’s 93rd minute leveller for eventual winners Real Madrid.
Although Atletico have been unable to sustain a serious defence of their league crown this season, they have progressed through to the last eight of the Champions League – where they will face a mouth-watering local derby against Real – and his ongoing success had reportedly attracted the attention of a number of major clubs, with Manchester City most prominently linked.
But Simeone has given Rojiblancos fans a cause for celebration by committing his future to Atletico, insisting that he has rejected overtures from elsewhere because he believes he will take the club further forward.
Diego @Simeone signs new @atletienglish deal until 2020 #UCL #Simeone2020 pic.twitter.com/YmRXUdnlNO
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Although he did not speak about specific clubs, Simeone indicated that he had options to leave as he said: “I’ve made a decision to stay where I am and sometimes in life decisions are difficult to make.
“Fortunately, I have been able to make this decision because I can see a club that is moving forward, I see eagerness to grow and people willing to work together.
“We all love Atletico Madrid, and we all want to grow together.”
After a five-year playing spell with the club which included a league and cup double in 1996, Simeone was already a huge favourite with the Atletico faithful and has only further enhanced his standing by inspiring the team to an unprecedented level of success since his arrival in December 2011.
And he admitted that he is proud of the team’s achievements over the last three years, adding: “When I arrived that December, I dreamed of a competitive team, great on the counter attack and a side who always gave their all. I don’t see the opposition shirts, just the responsibility of wearing the Atleti shirt. That is very important.”
With this new deal Simeone is believed to have more than doubled his net annual salary from €2.5 million (Dh10m) to €6m (Dh24m), and it is thought that another major factor behind his decision to stay is the recent investment into the club by Chinese billionaire Wang Jianlin, who bought 20 per cent of the club’s shares earlier this year.
And Simeone confirmed the club’s financial health is a key concern. He said: “We want to remain in the top three and generate a stable economic situation. It won’t be easy as our rivals are getting better. But this is a path we must stay on – we need clear and defined ideas.”
Throughout last season’s title-winning campaign Simeone’s insistence upon never looking further forward than his team’s next opponents became something of an ongoing joke, and he was happy to tread down that familiar path once again when asked to outline his next objectives for the team.
With a big smile on his face, he replied simply: “Cordoba” – Atletico’s next opponents following the international break.
