Atleti's Vargas Plan Revealed: Young Mexican Staying Put at Metropolitano
After speculation about potential loan moves, Atlético Madrid have decided to keep 20-year-old Mexican midfielder Obed Vargas in their first-team squad for the remainder of the season.
Atlético Madrid have made the surprise decision to keep new signing Obed Vargas at the club rather than shipping him out on loan, despite strong interest from several clubs across Europe.
Staying Put at the Wanda
The 20-year-old Mexican midfielder, who recently arrived from Seattle Sounders, had been widely expected to head out on loan to gain European experience. Throughout Monday, the rumour mill was in full swing with Celta Vigo emerging as frontrunners ahead of fellow La Liga outfits Getafe and Mallorca, while Sporting Lisbon were also sniffing around the youngster.
However, in a late twist that’ll have the boy feeling proper chuffed, Atlético have decided Vargas will remain as part of Simeone’s squad. He’ll join fellow new faces Ademola Lookman and Rodrigo Mendoza in Tuesday’s training session as Los Colchoneros’ third January addition.
A Punt on Potential
The decision is particularly interesting given Vargas’ lack of top-level European experience. While he’s notched an impressive 130 appearances in the MLS, he’s yet to test himself in the more demanding environment of European football.
The club clearly see something special in the lad, though. In fact, they’ve already registered him with La Liga before even officially announcing his signing – a proper vote of confidence if ever I saw one.
Boyhood Dream Realised
For Vargas, this move represents more than just a career step – it’s the fulfilment of a childhood dream. Before facing Atlético in the Club World Cup with Seattle, he openly declared his love for the Spanish side.
“I identified with Atlético because of the fighting spirit they play with,” the midfielder previously revealed, explaining how he bucked the trend among his peers who supported Barcelona and Madrid.
Now the lifelong fan has not only signed for his boyhood club but will be sticking around for the business end of the season rather than heading out on temporary pastures. Talk about landing on your plates of meat!