Spanish football morning headlines: Torres joins Atletico B, Inter delay Hakimi payment and it’s more than the Supercopa for Barcelona | OneFootball

Spanish football morning headlines for January 17.

Fernando Torres takes the next step of his coaching career at Atletico Madrid B

Fernando Torres’ return to Atletico Madrid in September of 2020 was greeted as great news, with the former striker returning to the Spanish capital to begin his coaching career.

He’s been developing slowly but surely, and has now gone from the academy, where he was part of Ricky Alonso’s coaching staff, to Atletico Madrid B, where he’s been working since Wednesday according to a report in Marca.

Read more here.

Crisis at Inter postpones Achraf Hakimi payment to Real Madrid

Inter are not living a simple moment. Its owners have been experiencing an economic crisis that dates back to before the Coronavirus pandemic and could have grave consequences regarding the sporting future of the Italian club according to a report in Diario AS.

Talk in Italy is that they may be partly sold to English fund BC Partners, which is analysing its accounts, while players are not receiving their salaries. This has also complicated their deal with Real Madrid for Achraf Hakimi, given that they were supposed to pay €10m of his transfer fee in December and had to postpone until 30 March.

Read more here.

More than just the Supercopa de Espana

After a trophy-less season last year, something that hadn’t happened at Barcelona for 12 years, near the end of the Frank Rijkaard era, Barcelona tonight could lift the first trophy of the Ronald Koeman era.

It’s more than just the Supercopa de Espana, that normally least-valued trophy by the Spanish elite, according to a report in Mundo Deportivo. Beating Athletic Bilbao at La Cartuja in Seville tonight could show the world that Koeman’s side has a degree of quality and bite some felt was absent and set them up for the second half of the campaign.

Read more here.