A left foot for the right flank
In July 2026, Atlético de Madrid signed Kang-in Lee from Paris Saint-Germain. His contract runs until June 2031, and he will wear the number seven shirt.
Atlético describe him as a left-footed attacking midfielder who can also operate on either wing. According to the two clubs’ official announcements, he made 124 appearances for PSG, scoring 16 goals and providing 16 assists. He finished the 2025-26 season with four goals and five assists in 39 matches.
I also had a much less important reason to be excited about the announcement.
I am Japanese, but “Lee” is a nickname my friends use for me. When I saw that Kang-in would take the number seven shirt, I briefly allowed myself to imagine an official Atlético jersey with “LEE 7” on the back.
The name available through the club shop is, unsurprisingly, “KANG IN 7”. I am delighted with the signing. The small dream of buying an official shirt carrying my own nickname, however, did not survive the announcement.
The name and number on the shirt have been settled. His place on the pitch has not.
Right midfield is the obvious place to begin. Even there, Atlético should not ask him to spend the entire match holding the touchline. His previous roles suggest that he is more dangerous when he can move inside and receive on his left foot. From that position, he can pass through the centre, cross towards the striker or shoot himself.
Mallorca gave him the ball, and his influence grew
The clearest version of Kang-in Lee appeared during his second season at Mallorca.
He played 39 matches in all competitions in 2022-23, scoring six goals and registering six assists. After the first 11 league fixtures, he led the Mallorca squad for assists, successful dribbles and passes into the final third. Javier Aguirre gave him licence to move, and his connection with Vedat Muriqi became central to the team’s attacking play.
Mallorca were not a side who kept possession for long periods and pinned opponents inside their own box. Their attacking opportunities were more limited. Kang-in often had to carry the ball forward himself, draw a defender towards him and then find Muriqi or another runner.
His dribbling was not only a way to beat one man. By keeping the ball under pressure, he could give his team-mates time to move and wait for the defensive shape to change before choosing the pass.
His left-footed delivery is the most obvious part of his game, but the work before the final ball matters just as much. He can move an opponent before trying to play through him.
The way his influence grew at Mallorca suggests that he may be better with a regular supply of the ball than as a substitute expected to produce one decisive moment in 20 minutes.
Atlético may need to create similar conditions. Rather than using him to cover vacancies on the right, left and through the middle, they should first give him a reference position and allow his relationships with the players around him to develop.
More options at PSG, but no role he completely owned
Kang-in received plenty of playing time at PSG, but he never became an undroppable starter. His three years in Paris were still valuable. He played in different areas of the pitch and learned to combine with technically outstanding team-mates at a much quicker tempo.
He appeared in midfield, on both wings and in narrower attacking positions. He was asked to join short passing combinations and make decisions with fewer touches. During his time at PSG, he also won domestic trophies and two Champions League titles.
In the opening match of the 2025-26 season against Nantes, he started in midfield alongside Vitinha and Fabián Ruiz. During the first half, he delivered two crosses towards Gonçalo Ramos and also attempted a shot from a central position inside the penalty area. They were useful examples of how he can contribute as both a creator and a potential finisher when his team has pushed the opposition back.
He was substituted early in the second half, and PSG scored the winning goal after he had left the pitch. Producing promising moments is not the same as controlling the attack or deciding the match.
Later that season, against Barcelona, he came off the bench, beat several opponents and struck the post with his left foot. In a short spell, he created a shooting opportunity through individual skill. It was one excellent action rather than a summary of his whole performance.
PSG gave him several positions, but he never made one of them unquestionably his own.
The ability to play in many areas can help a player get on the pitch. It does not automatically turn him into a reference point for the attack.
Atlético must be careful with that distinction.
Using him on the right when a right midfielder is missing, moving him centrally to cover an absence and then sending him to the left late in a match would be convenient. Over time, however, it could leave him without a clear understanding of where he should receive, which combinations he should build and what the team expects from him.
Atlético should make use of the adaptability he developed in Paris. Adaptability should not become a substitute for a defined role.
The right as a starting point, with the centre as another possibility
Giuliano Simeone is currently Atlético’s clearest reference on the right side of midfield.
Giuliano gives the team width, runs beyond the defensive line and reacts aggressively after possession is lost. He can inject speed and energy into that side of the pitch. His main job is not to receive repeatedly in front of a low block and dismantle it with short passes or left-footed shots.
Kang-in would bring a different set of tools to the same area.
When the right-back overlaps, he can move into the inside channel. From there, he can play through the middle, switch the attack, cross towards Alexander Sørloth or open his body for a shot. If the opposing left-back follows him inside, space may appear on the outside. If a central midfielder steps across, a passing lane towards the forwards can open.
Simply placing him on the right will not solve everything.
If he continually drops deep to receive, he will move too far away from goal. If he drifts inside without the full-back providing width, Atlético can lose the entire outside lane.
What matters is not giving him unlimited freedom. It is making sure that he and the players around him understand how far he can move and who occupies the space he leaves.
His ability to play centrally could also become important. If he starts on the right but can move into the number ten space or receive ahead of the central midfielders in certain matches, Atlético will have more ways to change their shape.
That should not be treated merely as an emergency alternative if he fails on the right. It could be another way to bring him closer to the centre of the attack.
There is no need to give him several jobs immediately. Atlético should first establish his movements from the right and see what he can produce there. A more central role can then be developed from a clearer base.
The final action against a set defence
One of the most frustrating features of Atlético last season was what happened after they had pushed an opponent back.
When there was space to counterattack, Julián Álvarez could threaten with his movement and Giuliano could carry the team forward with his running. The more difficult moments came after the opposition had recovered into a compact shape around the centre and the penalty area.
Atlético could keep the ball, but too much of their possession remained outside the defensive block. A player might draw an opponent out without the next pass creating a genuine chance. Crosses were often delivered towards a defence already prepared to clear them.
This is where I hope Kang-in can help: with the final pass and with goals.
He can receive between midfield and defence, turn and look for Julián or Sørloth. He can carry the ball inside from the right and shoot from the corner of the penalty area. He can combine in tight spaces and help Atlético enter the box without relying on another predictable cross.
None of these actions is revolutionary on its own. Atlético simply needed another player capable of producing several of them within the same spell of possession.
His scoring record still needs to be treated realistically. He scored six goals in his second season at Mallorca and four in his final campaign with PSG, but he has not yet shown that he can be relied upon for double figures every year.
The technique to shoot is there. The question is how often he can reach the positions from which it matters.
After releasing the ball, he will need to continue into the box. When he moves inside from the right, he cannot stop as soon as he reaches a central area. If he is to increase his output at Atlético, the frequency of those movements may matter more than the quality of his left foot.
Meeting Simeone’s demands without losing his strengths
Concerns about Kang-in’s defending do not come from the fact that he is a left-footed attacking midfielder. They come from the amount of work Atlético demand from the player on the right.
He will have to track the opposing full-back, cover behind Atlético’s own right-back and react immediately after possession is lost. If he is slow to recover, the central midfielders and defenders will be left to deal with the consequences.
It would still be unfair to dismiss him as a technical player who does not defend.
After the opening 11 matches of the 2022-23 season, he ranked second in the Mallorca squad for recoveries in the opposition half and for distance covered at high intensity. Those numbers do not prove that he will meet every defensive demand at Atlético, but they are not the profile of a player who simply refuses to contribute without the ball.
The real issue is whether he can repeat that work every week.
One aggressive press is not enough. He will have to adjust his position whenever the opponent circulates the ball, drop deep when the situation demands it and then push forward again as soon as Atlético regain possession. In high-intensity matches, those decisions must continue into the closing stages.
If he does not meet the defensive standard, it would be understandable for Simeone to select a stronger runner. Yet if Kang-in becomes so concerned with avoiding mistakes that he chooses the safest pass every time Atlético have the ball, the purpose of signing him will be lost.
He must adapt to the culture and demands of Simeone’s Atlético. Atlético, in turn, must make sure that the adaptation does not remove the qualities that made them sign him.
That is the difficult balance behind this move.
Can he claim a clear role in this Atlético side?
Atlético needed to strengthen the right side of midfield. For this team, in its current form, I think Kang-in Lee is a good signing.
He offers a different way of using the right flank from Giuliano, and he can also play centrally when required. His final pass and left-footed shooting are qualities Atlético have needed when facing opponents who defend deep.
That does not mean his success is guaranteed.
Can he maintain the required defensive intensity? Can he influence the attack across an entire season rather than during a handful of good matches? Can Simeone give him a clear role while still allowing enough freedom for his talent to appear?
There is a considerable difference between becoming a player who can fill in on the right, left or through the middle and becoming a player who starts on the right and changes the course of matches.
“KANG IN 7” will be printed on the back of the shirt. Where that number seven will play has not yet been decided.
If Atlético can repeatedly find him inside from the right and allow him to contribute the final pass as well as goals, he could provide one answer to the problems the team have faced after pushing opponents back.
I am still not completely convinced that it will work. That is exactly why I cannot wait to see him play for Atlético.