Fernando Torres Tipped to Replace Diego Simeone at Atletico de Madrid

Former Liverpool midfielder Xabi Alonso has emerged as the world’s next big thing in football coaching during the last 12 months, leading Bayer Leverkusen to an undefeated Bundesliga title and drawing interest from both Bayern Munich and Liverpool.

However, as a manager, Alonso was always held in high regard by many. Many others had great hopes for former teammate Steven Gerrard as well, but his career looks to have gone south after failing at Aston Villa and landing him in the Saudi Pro League.

Of all the prominent figures during Rafa Benitez’s Liverpool tenure, striker Fernando Torres was one that few predicted would become manager. However, being a young trainer, he may soon surpass Gerrard in potential.

After leading Atletico de Madrid’s youth team for three seasons—winning two of those seasons and defeating Real Madrid to claim the championship—Torres has been chosen to take charge of the Atleti B team this summer. According to people close to the team, he is the club’s top pick to succeed Diego Simeone when the time comes.

That period of time wouldn’t arrive for at least another few years, and as Alonso and Gerrard’s differing experiences have demonstrated, when it comes to how prospective managers are perceived, a few years can seem like a lifetime.

Torres’s ascension within the Atleti system is still fascinating—and, for the most part, surprising. From a former player many were shocked to see going into management at all to a highly respected coaching prospect and favorite to succeed a legend in the coming years, Torres has become a household name.

Industrious attacker Dirk Kuyt, another former Red from the Rafa era, overcame a challenging first senior assignment at second-tier Dutch team Den Haag in 2022–2023 by leading Beerschot to promotion to the Belgian top flight.

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