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Nacho Donado backs Mendoza and Vargas over Raspadori and Gallagher
He defends the bets on young players such as Mendoza and Obed Vargas, contrasting them with the cases of Raspadori and Gallagher.
Nacho Donado runs through the signings Atlético cannot afford
Nacho Donado explains the kind of signing Atlético cannot afford: the expensive stopgap that doesn't fit.
Nacho Donado didn't sit on the fence during the panel discussion. 'Donadoni' responded to a common criticism: that Mateu Alemany signed Rodrigo Mendoza and Obed Vargas in the winter window and that they are barely playing. For Donado, these are players whose value only ever goes up; one is at a World Cup and the other is in the squad of the world champions. The fact that they aren't playing is no problem for Atleti's results, because right now they aren't needed.
The real problem, Donado argues, is stopgap signings, which come "at a million and at 20 million". He cites the case of having Raspadori, with 20 or 25 million invested, and five players ahead of him in the pecking order. Or the case of Conor Gallagher. For Donado, "he's not a bad player, but he doesn't fit what the team plays even if you glued him in".
Nacho made it clear on the panel: those kinds of signings, which aren't made for sporting reasons, are the ones Atlético cannot afford.