It’s fair to say that a number of deals made this summer in light of the World Cup and getting playing time ahead of it are yet to work out, and Sergio Reguilón to Atlético Madrid is one of them.
The full-back made a return to Madrid in the summer after falling down the pecking order under Antonio Conte, with him seeking regular playing time to get his career back on track.
Atlético accepted the deal as Tottenham were happy to pay all of the player’s wages but Reguilón is yet to feature after arriving with an injury in the summer.
Several reports in Spain over the last few weeks have made it clear he is now back from that injury and ready to be called up by Diego Simeone but, as Marca explain today, that is yet to happen.
They cover the ‘Reguilón mystery’, explaining that the defender is yet to make his debut for Atlético despite being available.
Simeone was ‘pining’ for Chelsea’s Marcos Alonso but he ended up going to Barcelona and the Argentine was forced to accept what he was given instead.
The move ‘caused no small amount of suspicion’, though, given the player’s history with rivals Real Madrid and that seemingly hasn’t helped his cause.
There is now a ‘mystery’ around the player as he is yet to make his debut more than two months after his arrival, despite being back from his pubalgia injury for weeks.
Simeone reportedly believes the Tottenham man cannot compete ‘at the level’ that he or Atlético demands, leaving the player on the bench for the last three games, even using Saúl on the left ahead of him.
It ‘doesn’t look like’ that scenario is going to change tomorrow when they face Mallorca, which is the last La Liga game before the World Cup in Spain.
He could instead make his debut in the cup clash against Almazán on Saturday, but until that debut happens, questions will continue to be asked about the decision to loan him from Tottenham.
