MADRID, March 28 (Xinhua) -- Wednesday's news that Atletico Madrid's World Cup-winning defender Lucas Hernandez is leaving the club in the summer to join Bayern Munich is a major blow to Diego Simeone's side.
The news of Lucas' imminent departure for 80 million euros comes after a fortnight in which Atletico were knocked out of the Champions League by Juventus and beaten 2-0 at Athletic Bilbao, to leave this season's European and domestic ambitions in shreds.
It also comes as there is debate over the philosophy of the club, with some wondering whether Simeone needs to adapt his ultra-defensive strategy. Simeone's tactics have won Atletico the Europa League on two occasions and also the 2014 La Liga title, but there is a feeling that it tends to see them fall at the last hurdle most of the time, condemning them to finish second or third in the league or come up short in the Champions League.
Although some will point to Atletico's Europa League triumphs to shoot this theory down, they should remember that both wins came after they dropped into the tournament by failing to qualify for the knockout stages of the Champions League, finishing third in the group stage on both occasions.
Lucas' departure comes at a bad time for the club as it coincides with the 'adios' of two of Atletico's most important defensive servants, as both left back Filipe Luis and central defender Diego Godin are out of contract in the summer.
That means Atletico have a major rebuilding job to do at the back, and although Lucas' departure will bring 80 million euros into the club coffers, it could be spread thin in the search for replacements.
Simeone will want to bring in two central defenders and at least one left-back, while at right-back Juanfran Torres is 34 years old and Colombian international Santiago Arias has yet to fully convince.
Atletico did sign 18-year-old Argentinian defender Nehuen Perez in January, but he has yet to make his debut and will clearly need time to develop.
All in all, it means a total rebuilding job for what has been Atletico's biggest strength in recent seasons.
The good news for the club is that star striker Antoine Griezmann made positive noises in the week about staying, but Atletico must be painfully aware that Griezmann's release clause drops to a more accessible 120 million euros on July 1, and that makes the Frenchman a tempting target for Europe's big hitters.
Despite his positive words this week, there is still plenty of time for Griezmann to look at the situation likely to face his club over the summer and conclude that his best chance of winning a league or Champions League title lies elsewhere.
