It does make a mockery of the whole concept of a transfer window if clubs can still sign players in certain situation, but Atletico Madrid will be thankful that La Liga have allowed them to bring someone else in.
They lost Thomas Partey to Arsenal on the final day of the window and there was no time to find a replacement, so they’ve spent the last few weeks desperately searching for someone.
They are only allowed to sign someone from Spain or a free agent so all of their rivals have immediately jacked up their prices as they sense the desperation, but it looks like Valencia have finally caved in the case of Geoffrey Kondogbia:
It’s been a surprise that Valencia have held out for so long here because they’ve managed to sell everybody else in their team over the past few months, and it was clear that the midfielder wasn’t happy with the club.
Kondogbia is a proven midfielder in La Liga who can play in a holding role or as a box-to-box midfielder so he should be a suitable replacement for Partey and a good fit for Simeone, but it’s not a great time to be moving club.