Hermoso, Llorente and Joao Felix: 182 million euros of reality Atletico Madrid Three biggest signings yet to deliver

The summer transfer window couldn't have been much more exciting for Atletico Madrid.

From the drama of seeing big names leave, we began to think about how they'd look in 2019/20 as promising names arrived to fill those holes.

But the football on the pitch has done the talking now and the reality is that their three biggest investments haven't yet done enough to make their predecessors be forgotten.

Comparing Mario Hermoso, Marcos Llorente and Joao Felix with Lucas Hernandez, Rodrigo Hernandez and Antoine Griezmann doesn't reflect favourably on the newcomers.

Despite spending 127 million euros on the Portuguese, 30 million euros on Llorente and 25 million euros on Hermoso, their predecessors' shadows are hard to escape. But the talent of their signings can't be denied and Joao Felix, in particular, excites.

Atleti had one of the best defenders in Europe with Lucas, while Hermoso is still moving between the bench and the stands. Llorente, for his part, is only Rodrigo's heir in the number he wears, and Thomas Partey has been the one to step forward.

Trippier and Lodi, the other side of the spending

The 20 million euros spend on Kieran Trippier and the 16 million euros splashed on Renan Lodi were no more than side notes this past summer, but they've been the most immediate in finding form.

They've both done well to slot in for Juanfran and Filipe Luis, who were key players under Diego Simeone.