Alex Baena reveals Julian Alvarez's transfer request to FC Barcelona made Atletico Madrid teammates furious

Julian Alvarez's transfer request this summer "annoyed" his Atletico teammates. (Image credits – CommonsWikipedia, License Details)

Atletico Madrid midfielder Alex Baena has revealed that Julian Alvarez’s public attempt to plot a move to FC Barcelona angered members of the Atlético dressing room, revealing that it was not necessarily the forward’s desire to leave that caused frustration but the way he went about it.

Alvarez became one of the biggest stories of the summer when he publicly stated that he had discussed his future with Atlético and believed that “the best thing for everyone would be a transfer” during the World Cup.

Barcelona were interested in signing the Argentine forward and made an offer, but Atletico refused to sell him.

Ultimately, Alvarez stayed at Atletico, with Barca moving for Gabriel Jesus at the end of the window to provide competition for Raphinha, Lamine Yamal, Fermin Lopez, Anthony Gordon and Karim Adeyemi.

When the Argentine returned to play for Atletico, it saw him booed by his own fans during a draw with Villarreal in August, but he has since been given full confidence by head coach Diego Simeone.

Speaking to Cadena SER, Baena said the way Alvarez approached the speculation did not earn him much support in Atleti's dressing room. 

"It feels a bit strange when a teammate says publicly that he wants to leave," the Spain international said in an interview. (sic) 

He further added, "It didn't sit very well with us. I can understand a player having doubts if a club like Barca or Real Madrid comes in for you, but, ultimately, it was the way he went about it that really annoyed us at Atletico.” (sic)

However, Baena also admitted that Alvarez has been forgiven and has urged the fans to support the Argentine as well.

“We would have supported him regardless of what he decided to do," Baena added. (sic)

"The important thing is that he is with us now, and we need to show him all the affection in the world.” (sic)

Alvarez has scored just twice in all competitions this season while providing three assists, having also provided Giuliano Simeone's opening goal in Sunday's 2-1 defeat to Barca.

Atletico's defeat ended their seven-game winning run in LaLiga. They sit third on the table, two points behind second-place Real Madrid and five points behind leaders Barca.