Atlético keep Asenjo and Courtois

Atlético confirmed on Wednesday that backup goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo had signed a new contract keeping him at the club until the summer of 2016. The announcement came from sporting director José Luis Pérez Caminero, who had worked with the Palencia-born keeper during their shared time at Real Valladolid.

“I’ve known Sergio since he was 12 years old,” Caminero said. “He’s still young, but he’s been through a lot. There are few 22-year-olds who have experienced the things he has. This last season he’s worked hard to rival Courtois for the number 1 spot, after fully recovering from his injury. He’s eager to continue fighting and we want him to do it [at Atlético].”

Asenjo’s career had stalled since his 2009 arrival, when he was hailed as one of the world’s top goalkeeping prospects. Two torn cruciate ligaments since 2010, and the presence of first David de Gea and then Thibaut Courtois ahead of him, limited the Spaniard to 17 league appearances and 3 clean sheets. His previous deal ran to 2013; the extension added three more years and, implicitly, another chance to prove himself.

The other half of the goalkeeping news concerned Courtois. The 20-year-old Belgian had spent the season on loan from Chelsea and, according to Sky Sports, would be allowed to stay at the Vicente Calderón for a second year, with one condition attached: Chelsea would not permit him to play in the UEFA Super Cup in Monaco on 31 August, when Atlético were due to face the Blues themselves. It looked a minor setback for a keeper who had been vital to the Europa League triumph that spring. AS later reported that Chelsea were in fact in favour of letting Courtois take part in the Super Cup, and that Atlético would likely pay around 500,000 euros to borrow him for another year, the same fee as the season before.

Courtois had made his wish to stay known on several occasions during his first campaign, having quickly won over supporters who were initially sceptical about loaning in young players without a purchase option. The doubts did not last; his numbers that season stand up in the club’s statistical record, and his three years in Madrid would end with him ranked among the finest keepers in Atlético’s history. Contemporary coverage of that summer’s squad building is collected in the archive.