Atlético Madrid steal the show on deadline day with triple swoop
The Madrid club added three players in the dying hours of a relatively quiet Spanish transfer window, while other clubs made last-gasp moves to strengthen their squads.
Atlético Madrid turned up the heat on an otherwise lukewarm winter transfer deadline day in Spain, completing a triple signing in the final hours to provide some much-needed drama.
Mateu Alemany’s masterclass
While most clubs were putting their feet up, Atleti’s sporting director was grafting away like a proper Trojan. The Rojiblancos managed to register three players in one fell swoop: Ademola Lookman, Obed Vargas and Rodrigo Mendoza. Talk about leaving it late!
The Madrid club’s eleventh-hour business stood in stark contrast to the general calm elsewhere, with most teams barely giving the fax machine a workout. Still, there were a few other bits of business worth noting.
Swedish goal machine joins Alavés
In a move that raised a few eyebrows, Alavés signed Diabate, the top scorer from Sweden’s top flight. The striker netted 19 goals for Gais and now joins the Basque side to compete with Boyé and Toni Martínez for the number 9 spot. Having previously been on the books at Mallorca, Sevilla and Atlético Madrid’s reserve sides, the lad’s got pedigree.
Celta’s double deal
Celta Vigo were busy bees on deadline day, bringing in:
- Matías Vecino - The 34-year-old Uruguayan international midfielder arrives from Lazio
- Álvaro Núñez - The full-back joins from Elche for €1 million plus 10% of any future sale
Vecino’s arrival came as Bryan Zaragoza departed for Roma, with the player penning an emotional farewell letter to fans.
Getafe drama: Como nearly nab Milla
Getafe supporters had a proper heart-in-mouth moment when news broke that Como were negotiating for Luis Milla. The Italian side reportedly offered around €7 million for the midfielder - crucial to Bordalás’ system - but the bid was deemed insufficient.
After the scare, Getafe did see some movement with Coba leaving for Anderlecht and Serbian attacker Birmancevic arriving from Sparta Prague - a nice bit of business for the gaffer.
Elche’s ins and outs
Tete Morente makes a return to Elche after his Lecce adventure, signing until 2028. He previously spent four seasons at the club between 2020 and 2024. In the dying seconds of the window, Elche also secured Spanish U19 international Sangaré on loan from Roma.
Other notable moves
- Mallorca celebrated their victory against Sevilla by bringing in Angolan winger Zito Luvumbo on loan from Cagliari
- Athletic Club’s only winter business was registering centre-back Unai Egiluz, who’d been sidelined with an ACL injury since pre-season