ATLETICO MADRID goalkeeper Jan Oblak seems stuck at a crossroads this summer, with no obvious direction to take.
Oblak is widely regarded as one of the world’s best goalkeepers, having impressed with his amazing reflexes and consistency since joining Atletico from Benfica for a bargain €16 million in summer 2014.
The Slovenia international kept 27 clean sheets in his 50 matches in 2018 – more shut-outs than any other goalkeeper across Europe’s top five leagues – conceding just 36 goals over that time. The usually pretty restrained Transfermarkt recently decided to make him their first ever goalkeeper with a €100 million value.
Diego Simeone’s teak-tough Atletico has generally been a good place for a goalkeeper to shine, with Oblak having followed in the footsteps of predecessor Thibaut Courtois between the posts at the Vicente Calderon, and then Wanda Metropolitano.
But now just as the 26-year-old is hitting his prime years, Atletico are heading into an uncertain future, and there have been strong suggestions that he could be interested in moving to either Manchester United or Paris Saint Germain.
2018/19 saw Oblak win a fourth career ‘Zamora’ award as La Liga’s best goalkeeper, with the achievement even more impressive given how he received less protection than before, as Atletico’s previously solid defence began to creak worryingly.
The much busier than usual goalkeeper was clearly his team’s most important player through the campaign, much more even than attacking star Antoine Griezmann, with crucial saves against Real Betis, Sevilla, Valencia and many others vital to a second-place finish.
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Jan Oblak is the definition of cool. pic.twitter.com/aTyfjEDhca
— LaLiga (@LaLigaEN) June 7, 2019
And now Atletico’s squad looks set for almost complete revamp this summer. Long-time fixtures Diego Godin, Juanfran Torres and Felipe Luis [almost certainly] are moving on with their contracts up. More worrying still is the exit of French World Cup winner Lucas Hernandez to Bayern Munich, while holding midfielder Rodrigo Hernandez could join Manchester City, and of course Griezmann looks finally set to join Barcelona.
Meanwhile, the only players joining so far are Brazilian centre-back Filipe, 30, from Porto, and striker Nicolas Ibanez, 24, from Atletico’s Mexican franchise club Atletico de San Luis.
Mexico midfielder Hector Herrera is also set to arrive on a free, but the general feeling is that Atletico pushed themselves to the limit financially in recent years, and now must work within stricter financial limits. The idea that Benfica starlet Joao Felix could join as Griezmann’s replacement is exciting for fans, but far from a done deal.
Another worry for rojiblanco supporters is that their team’s number one shares their concerns over Simeone’s side’s competitiveness going forward.
“I signed a new contract, but that does not change anything,” Oblak told Ekipa earlier this month when on international duty. “I will stay at Atletico as long as their ambitions match mine. And some people might think their ambitions have lowered, as big players have left. When I signed my new contract they gave me guarantees about the club’s ambition.”
While Simeone’s side have consistently challenged the best around during Oblak’s five seasons at the club, their actual trophy wins have been limited to the 2014 Spanish Supercopa, 2018 Europa League and 2018 UEFA Supercup. This does not really seem enough for an individual who mentions the word “ambitious” so often in conversation, and who has turned down offers from Liverpool and Chelsea in previous transfer windows.
Jan Oblak wants Atletico Madrid exit, following broken promises over his future! As a boyhood Manchester United fan, EPL club in pole position. [ESPN] pic.twitter.com/550os3ZvLM
— Adriano Del Monte (@adriandelmonte) June 10, 2019
“I don’t like to talk about what I have won in the past, I prefer to look at what I still have to achieve,” he told another Slovenian outlet RTVSLO last week. “One of my objectives is to play a big tournament with Slovenia, which will not be easy, but is not impossible. I want to win the Champions League, and I believe I will. Then there are national titles, I want to win the Spanish league and maybe in future some others.”
That seemed a hint that he would remain at Atletico for another ambitious tilt at La Liga next year. Maybe because he sees no clear exit route. Despite a rocky last 12 months, David De Gea is still expected to remain at Old Trafford, while cheaper option Keylor Navas currently looks favourite to join PSG.
A lot could still change between now and the end of the transfer window, including Atletico making some big splashes in the market, or a really serious offer coming which Oblak would find difficult to turn down.
