Tata Martino: “Eric Remedi is a pure holding midfielder”

Eric Remedi is finally in Atlanta, and according to Tata Martino, the club’s newest signing is expected to begin training with the team on Monday in preparation for next weekend’s matchup against DC United.

Not much is known about the player to those unfamiliar with Argentina’s Primera División, but Martino did give reporters some insight into his perspective and plans for Remedi, who he refers to as a “pure holding midfielder”.

“We’ll have to see based on how the trainings go, how he’s able to integrate with the team, and how games are going if we think he and Jeff Larentowicz need to play together,” said Martino. “We need to decide whether he can play alone in the defensive midfield or with someone.”

It’s interesting that Martino brings up Larentowicz and potentially pairing him with Remedi during matches. The coach seems to have his mind made up that Remedi is a holding mid similar to Larentowicz and unlike Darlington Nagbe, so he may be hinting at playing the two defensive-oriented players together in certain situations where Atlanta is hoping to preserve a lead rather than attempt to play Remedi in Nagbe’s usual, more creative role at the very beginning of a match as one may have initially anticipated. Remedi falls more in line as a true replacement for Carlos Carmona and what he was able to bring to the team last season than what Nagbe’s best attributes have been able to do so far. It’s yet another wrinkle for a very diverse team with a lot of options.

When asked whether or not he sees Remedi as a consistent starter, Martino preached patience. He has no plans to rush the midfielder into the lineup.

“Throwing him into the fire isn’t an option,” said Martino. “There are a lot of things he has to get adjusted to with being in a new country with a new team, new teammates, and a new language. There are a lot of things we have to experiment with to get him as comfortable as we can, and it won’t be by throwing him in all at once.”

Regardless of when he gets his feet set with the club, one thing’s for certain. There’s a lot of midfield depth for a team chasing the Supporters’ Shield and MLS Cup.