Spanish Debate: Should Sissoko Be Atletico's Priority? Atletico Madrid are said to be making a move for Momo Sissoko of Liverpool. Is he the right pl

Juventus have essentially pulled out of the race for Momo Sissoko, but their place on the trail for the Liverpool misfit has been taken by another club: Atletico Madrid.

The rojiblancos are said to be in talks with the Reds over signing the young defensive midfielder, who would add some solidity to the Vicente Calderon central line.

At least, that's the idea. Atleti generally play two in the middle, and with Maniche gone, one of the regular spots has opened up. With young Raul Garcia getting orward at most opportunities, the door is open for a new, defensively-minded player to take the remaining place.

The signing of Sissoko, then, could make sense from the point of view of the first eleven. And he's a decent player with experience of Spanish football. But is it really what Atletico need?

Let's look at the priorities. Up front, Atleti lack depth. Kun Aguero - who is beginning to show his true potential this season - and Diego Forlan have begun to link up amazingly quickly, but striking talent at the Manzanares pretty much begins and ends with these two. Mista's already starting to look somewhat outclassed, and after him there is no more striking cover. The irrepressible Maxi and even Jurado can deputise, but are better elsewhere. As such, maybe signing a new forward would be a prudent move.

But it's at the back where the real issues are: the left-back and centre-back positions in particular. Even the first-choice back line has been ropey at times this season, and when injuries strike, problems arise. Early in the campaign Atleti were leaking goals with alarming frequency; now, things have settled down, but partially because the midfield is playing a more reserved role. That's cut the goals conceded ratio significantly, but at the cost of some creativty: now, Atleti have conceded 19 times in as many games - a decent total - but fallen to 35 scored, way behind Barcelona and Madrid. A new, solid defender could give the midfield the security that they need to start creating two, three, even four goals a game once more.

Or perhaps a true defensive midfielder could see the free-scoring days of old return. Maybe Sissoko could in fact shore up the defence in a 4-1-3-2, allowing for some true attacking play. Right now, there aren't too many options to that effect. It's not just Raul Garcia who likes to get forward, but other centarl options such as Cleber Santana and, especially, Jurado. In that sense it works, as he would be all but guaranteed to hang back.

But as we know, the midfield is already burgeoning, and one name here is key: Thiago Motta. He is a defensive influence - an oft-injured one, admittedly, but a defensive midfielder nonetheless. Drafted in on a budget signing from Barcelona in summer, the Brazilian was clearly looking for first team football. Knocks and fitness concerns have denied him the chance to do so thus far, but with Maniche out of the picture, now seemed to be his chance. Should Sissoko come in, then the former blaugrana man may begin to wonder exactly why he was signed in the first place.

That's the crux of it: a crowded midfield. This affects the wings and the central pairing, and to a much lesser extent the right-back slot. Elsewhere - particularly in the rest of defence and up front, there is a paucity of talent to act as cover. Compare and contrast to the midfield, with all of its big names - sometimes the Atleti subs' bench contains three or four players who would walk into the vast bulk of Liga lineups, and Sissoko would perhaps exacerbate that issue.

To be fair, coach Aguirre has done a great job of keeping his players happy. Maniche-gate aside, things have gone well. The odd rant from the fiery Jose Antonio Reyes aside, those benched midfielders seem to be happy to fight for their places - Luis Garcia, Maxi and even Simao have all had spells as substitutes, without too much ill effect. And surely it's better to have too much cover than too little, as was the case last season.

But Sissoko could still prove problematic due to no fault of his own. Aguirre and the club hierarchy have said repeatedly that they're in no major hurry to land a new signing in January, yet they now seem to be on the trail of a new player - and a midfielder. Whether this dents the confidence or happiness of Motta remains to be seen, but one would think that Aguirre will know his squad well enough to judge what's correct. Even if he doesn't sign the contracts, he has significant input at the Vicente Calderon. He must use it wisely.