Elche have officially announced the loan signing of Thomas Lemar from Atlético Madrid. The agreement includes an option to buy the 30-year-old France international, who was once again omitted from Diego Simeone’s plans for the campaign ahead.
The move offers Lemar a direct path back to regular first-team football in La Liga. He spent recent months on loan at Girona, where he made 28 appearances across all competitions, scoring three times and setting up two more. That spell allowed him to rebuild match rhythm after spending prolonged periods on the periphery of Simeone’s well-drilled Atlético side.
High-profile arrival from Monaco
Lemar originally moved to the Spanish capital from AS Monaco in the summer of 2018. Atlético paid more than €70 million for his signature, making him one of the club’s most expensive recruits. Despite that status, the attacking midfielder failed to cement a guaranteed starting role. Across six seasons with the Rojiblancos, he totalled 186 outings, finding the net 10 times and laying on 19 goals for team-mates.
Although he arrived with a strong reputation from Ligue 1, Lemar found it difficult to replicate his earlier form in Madrid. Competition for places and tactical demands limited his output, and he gradually drifted from the centre of Simeone’s thinking. His temporary switch to Girona was arranged to revive a career that had stalled at the Wanda Metropolitano.
International pedigree and next chapter
A World Cup winner with France, Lemar has collected 27 caps for his country, scoring on four occasions. He has not featured for the national team since September 2021. Born in Baie-Mahault, Guadeloupe, he now links up with an Elche squad that ended the most recent La Liga campaign in 15th place.
The temporary switch gives Lemar the chance to rediscover his best form in familiar surroundings. With Elche looking to climb the standings, his creativity and top-level experience could prove valuable assets. If he adapts quickly and produces consistently, the club may decide to trigger their option and turn his stay into a permanent arrangement.