Atlético announces the signing of Daniel Wass

Daniel Wass controls the ball during a Denmark-England Nations League match.JOHN SIBLEY (Reuters)

With the signing of Daniel Wass (Denmark, 32 years old) by Atlético de Madrid in exchange for 2.7 million euros made public this Thursday night, and waiting to reach an agreement with Lens so that Reinildo incorporate in this market, Diego Pablo Simeone has armored the two flanks of the defense.

Kieran Trippier's escape has left a hole on the right side that forces the coach to occupy the position with Vrasaljko, whom he now sees more as a third central defender than as a full-back, or with Marcos Llorente.

The arrival of Wass, who has signed until 2023, will no longer force Simeone to place the Madrid midfielder in a position in which he has significantly reduced the offensive performance (12 goals and 11 assists) that were so decisive last year for the conquest of the league title. At this point in the season, Llorente has only recorded one goal pass and has not made his debut as a scorer. The only attraction that Llorente has to play in that position is the one that Simeone has emphasized to him in private and in public. His chances of continuing to enter Luis Enrique's calls increase with his versatility.

The Simeone era has been marked by the importance of full-backs in both defensive and offensive play. Juanfran and Filipe Luis were the star couple for eight seasons. The replacement of both has been one of Cholo's headaches. For the right flank, Vrasaljko has never finished having the full confidence of the coach and Trippier, who had established himself, has given the fright in the middle of the season. Since the departure of the duo that marked an era, Simeone has had to invent false sides or lanes like Llorente, Saúl, Carrasco or Hermoso.

Wing protection is one of the most glaring issues contributing to the team's unusual defensive fragility this season.

Its impact is directly related to the number of goals that Oblak concedes in lateral centers, whether they are from the air or from below.

Simeone already had to alleviate this setback last year and it was what led to the move to the defense of three central defenders with which he won the title.

Llorente reinforced Trippier on the right and they ended up forming a partnership that also excelled in attack.

On the left, Carrasco acted as a lane, but always with Hermoso very attentive to coverage.

Pivot back and forth or inside in a 4-3-3, Wass is not a pure winger, but since Marcelino placed him in that position, he offered a remarkable performance at Valencia.

The Asturian coach worked on him with specific training sessions in which he polished his defense in the zone, or how a full-back should perform when his team is pressured or vice versa.

The same apprenticeship that Juanfran experienced with Cholo.

Wass is also the usual right-back for the Danish national team, with whom he participated in the last European Championship.

Under the direction of Bordalás he has played so far this season as a midfielder and was the voussoir that held the center of the field. For this reason, until the arrival of Illaix Moriba was assured, Valencia did not allow Wass to leave. This can also offer Simeone a solution to another embolado that he has not just found definitively, that of the midfielders. The dance has been continuous and the Argentine coach has not even found a solid pivot to play alone ahead of the defense. Neither Koke, who did respond in the final stretch of last season, nor Kondogbia have settled down. Nor has the coach found a stable partner when he chooses to play with two in the middle. Wass is another serious option for that demarcation.

Beyond convincing him of his merely footballing qualities, Simeone congratulates himself for having hired what he calls "a man."

A footballer with competitive scars, sober and who is also little punished by injuries due to the zealous attention he puts into his physical and dietary care.

In the three and a half seasons that he has been at Valencia, he has only registered the 12 days off that he has just gone through due to covid-19 and has always been among the players who have played the most minutes.

The same thing happened to him in the three courses he played at Celta, where he barely exceeded a month off between trauma and a disc problem.

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