Atletico Madrid Diego Simeone Believes His Players Are Amongst the Best in the World

Off the back of a 3-2 win over newly promoted Brighton, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone commented on how he has to remind his players that they are amongst the best in the world, and how the transfer ban will not affect their competitiveness across Europe. 

In his post-match press conference, Simeone said: "I can only try to convince them that they are part of the best team in the world, although others have more money." 

The manager is keen to keep hold of his players, with the ban preventing Atletico from replacing any outgoings until the 1st January 2018.

Simeone went on to say: "There is always concern until the market closes that we remain with the players that we have and that we are very competitive". 

With Antoine Griezmann linked away earlier this summer, his pledge of allegiance towards the club was a relief for fans and the manager alike. 

According to reports, Diego Costa requested a move from Chelsea to Rojiblancos and the deal could still be sanctioned, however, Costa would be ineligible to play until the aforementioned date. The Spaniard was pictured in an Atletico shirt last month, and David Cartlidge expects him to hand in a transfer request imminently. 

When asked about the potential deal, Simeone commented: "The club is the one that is working on these situations, I do not have time to think about anything other than how to improve our players, there is no comment because he is not our player."

Simone will hope to get the best out of his own players, with the aim of returning silverware to the club since their La Liga triumph of 2013/14. 

Fans will be hoping to see the best of star players Nicolas Gaitan and Fernando Torres, who were particularly impressive against Brighton on Sunday, both finding the back of the net.

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Simeone sang Gaitan's praises, "I see him well, he has a natural talent. The most difficult part of football is offensively but he is working well and is going from a minor player to a major one, as everyone expected." 

With the transfer ban looming, Simeone will have to capitalise on his man management to get the most out of the players already at his disposal. Convincing his players that they are still at one of the best sides in the world will be essential to the team's success and maintaining the squad's quality.