Newcastle star Trippier shares what did his head in at Atletico Madrid

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Kieran Trippier has told Football Daily that it used to do his head in the way his Atletico Madrid teammates would dive around in training before he made the move to Newcastle United in January.

Trippier enjoyed a hugely successful spell in the Spanish capital. He was part of Diego Simeone’s side who won La Liga last season. And of course, Atleti have established themselves as one of the toughest teams to face in Europe.

So it perplexed many when Trippier opted to leave Madrid behind for Newcastle in January. At the time, the Magpies looked to be almost doomed in the battle to stay in the Premier League.

Obviously, there were advantages to moving to Tyneside. The England international would be back in the Premier League. And Newcastle can offer an attractive opportunity for almost any player in the world.

But it would also appear that Trippier may have grown a little tired with how some players would conduct themselves in Atletico training sessions.

“Sometimes in training, for me, obviously coming from England, it was frustrating because some of the boys would start diving and I’m just thinking: ‘get up’, do you know what I mean? It did my head in a lot,” he told Football Daily.

“But you get used to it. It can be frustrating, but it’s the way they have been brought up, the way they play, and getting in each others’ faces. Every time there’s a tackle, they’re always sprinting to the referee.”

Trippier could well go down as a game-changing signing for Newcastle after leaving Atletico Madrid

Newcastle faced one big problem in January. They had the means to sign almost any player they wanted. However, convincing them to join the club is a different kettle of fish.

There was the very real possibility that Newcastle could be playing in the Championship next year. Obviously, that is still possible. But their recent results suggest that that is now much less likely.

Should they stay up, those players with inhibitions about joining in January may be much more open to the idea in the summer.

Signing Trippier could be reflected upon as the game-changer therefore. He was a big name who left a Champions League side to join Newcastle. And his arrival must have had an impact on those who subsequently joined.

Newcastle now have a much better chance of staying up – and Trippier’s arrival may have been pivotal to that.