A closer look at Alexander Sørloth with VillarrealFanTV

While Atlético Madrid’s signing of Julián Alvarez has stolen the headlines, the club’s decision to replace Álvaro Morata with Villarreal forward Alexander Sørloth has flown a bit under the radar. Sørloth had one of the best seasons of his nomadic career in 2023/24 and nearly won the Pichichi as LALIGA’s top scorer — a distinction that went to Artem Dovbyk, another Atlético target this summer. Once the Dovbyk deal collapsed and the ex-Girona marksman signed for Roma, Atlético pivoted quickly back to Sørloth and signed him from Villarreal for an initial €32 million fee, with the player inking a four-year contract.

Sørloth scored twice in his first (unofficial) game for the club, grabbing two goals inside the first 10 minutes of Atlético’s 6-1 win against Kitchee in Hong Kong earlier this month. With Samu Omorodion’s exit pending, Sørloth likely will be the sole “traditional” number-nine in Diego Simeone’s squad this season, a player whose consistency in front of goal will be vital as Atleti seek silverware for the first time since 2021.

To get the lowdown on Sørloth and what he will bring to the table in 2024/25, we spoke to @VillarrealFanTV (on X/Twitter and YouTube) prior to Atlético’s season-opening contest against Villarreal on Monday night.

Sørloth’s strengths and weaknesses

One of Sørloth’s most easily-identifiable strengths centers on his physical presence. The 6’5’’ forward has always been an imposing figure in the penalty area, and last season, he finally produced the kind of season — 23 goals with six assists — many had long expected from him in an elite league.

“Sørloth is exceptionally good at finding space for himself inside the box when the ball is being crossed from either flank,” VillarrealFanTV said. “His strength and physical presence inside the box can often cause chaos and Sørloth has tendencies to be at the right position at the right time to score, both on his strong left foot or heading. He will also help the team defensively on corners and set pieces.”

Photo by Yu Chun Christopher Wong/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

Sørloth scored those 23 goals from 36 shots on target without taking a single penalty — in contrast to Dovbyk, whose 24-goal haul a season ago was inflated by seven spot kicks. The Norwegian’s runs in behind the defensive line will stretch those defenders — and a talented playmaker, like Álex Baena at Villarreal, or Alvarez and Antoine Griezmann at Atlético, will know how to take advantage of his movement.

“Sørloth is deceptively quick and light on his feet, despite being stocky and tall. ... He is difficult to stop once he has made runs behind the defenders,” VillarrealFanTV said. “His dribbling skills in tight situations is something he excels at. This is an area of his game that he has improved on ever since he came to LALIGA.”

Once the ball gets to Sørloth, his left-footed ball-striking can be hard for goalkeepers to stop, but there are times when the 28-year-old isn’t involved in the game enough, VillarrealFanTV says. He can “disappear” from games without service and is not likely to create something out of nothing. He also missed several games last season with a thigh problem, though he has largely been healthy throughout his career.

Sørloth’s stellar 2023/24 season

After two seasons and 16 league goals at Real Sociedad, Sørloth’s one and only year at Villarreal took a turn for the better following Marcelino García Toral’s return as coach. Though Sørloth began the year with four goals from six games, the Yellow Submarine’s porous defense saw them lose nine times from 18 games before Christmas — and Marcelino set out to improve the back line when the transfer window reopened.

Villarreal moved aggressively in the January market and finished a respectable eighth, losing just three league games after the calendar turned to 2024. And VillarrealFanTV says Marcelino “came in with clear ideas” as to how he wanted to use Sørloth, culminating in the player scoring a poker in a 4-4 draw with Real Madrid on May 19 — in which strike partner Gerard Moreno supplied two assists.

For Atlético to compete once more in the cup competitions and at the top end of LALIGA this season, Los Rojiblancos need a center-forward who can hold up play and reliably finish chances. After combining so well with Gerard and Baena before switching clubs, Sørloth will have plenty of opportunities now to prove his 2023/24 season was no flash in the pan. Simeone understands that with Alvarez, Griezmann, Rodrigo de Paul, Samuel Lino, and Marcos Llorente in the team, Sørloth will have top-quality service on offer — and it’ll be up to him to do the rest.