DIEGO SIMEONE has gained plaudits galore down the years for the remarkable job that he has done at Atletico Madrid.
Under the Argentine's watch the club have won a La Liga title and two Europa Leagues – as well as twice upsetting the odds to reach the Champions League final.
When the 49-year-old took over the club were on its knees.
But he swiftly built them from plucky underdogs to a genuine European powerhouse.
Simeone now, however, could be about to become a victim of his own success.
Atleti have struggled to rebuild their side since losing title-winners including Gabi, Diego Godin and Tiago – with subsequent signing Antoine Griezmann having also left for pastures new.
The club currently lie in sixth, a whopping 13 points behind neighbours Real Madrid in top spot.
And murmurs that Simeone could leave at the end of the season have begun to grow louder, with Mauricio Pochettino having been linked with the post.
A big part of the problem has been the poor reinvestment in the squad.
We at SunSport take a look at four of their worst recent attacking signings.
1. Diego Costa
A hero of the 2013-14 title winning campaign in which he bagged 27 goals in 35 LaLiga matches – Atleti were thrilled to bring the bustling forward back to Madrid.
Costa, 31, was also a heroic figure for a while at Chelsea, but threw a tantrum in order to force his way out at Stamford Bridge – refusing to report to training in the first half of the 2017-18 season.
The Spaniard eventually got his way, but Atletico should have seen the warning signs. Since returning he has only scored 14 goals in 59 games… hardly worth the eyewatering £67million fee.
2. Thomas Lemar
Signing the French World Cup winner for £63million from AS Monaco in 2018 was seen a major coup for Atletico, but it has not gone to plan.
Having dazzled for the Ligue 1 side both domestically and in the Champions League, splashing out on the 24-year-old, then 22, appeared to be a no-brainer.
He has spectacularly failed to deliver, however, failing to score or assist a single goal this season.
3. Joao Felix
Joao Felix, 20, is seen as one the most gifted attackers in Europe and was courted by virtually all of Europe's elite last summer.
But with the cash received from Barcelona for Antoine Griezmann burning a hole in their pockets, Atleti put their money were mouth is and splashed out an incredible £113million on the Benfica starlet.
It hasn't quite clicked yet, however, with a frustrated Felix having so far only scored twice in 17 La Liga outings.
4. Vitolo
The forgettable Vitolo has struggled to make an impact at the Wanda Metropolitano – making it hard to believe that his form at Sevilla convinced them to fork out his £33million release clause back in 2017.
The move came amid Atleti's transfer ban, meaning that he had to be loaned to Las Palmas until January 2018.
His productivity already began to dip significantly in that spell and he has gone on to score only SIX times in 73 Atletico appearances since.
5. Nikola Kalinic
A distant memory of some eagle-eyed Premier League observers for his somewhat forgettable spell at Blackburn Rovers, Croatian Nikola Kalinic went on to do reasonably well at Dnipro and Fiorentina after leaving Ewood Park.
Well enough for Atletico to take a £13.5million punt on him back in 2018.
After four goals in 24 games, the 32-year-old was sent packing though, and can currently be occasionally seen playing for Roma while on loan back in Serie A.
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