With the season quickly approaching the midway stage Espanyol are far from what they were hoping to be. After a quick and productive start to the season the Spaniards were sat in second, however, this didn't continue. A terribly poor run of form saw a draw followed by four losses in a row and a quick drop down the table to an unimpressive 12th in the table. Despite this they are only 6 points off the top of the table and 3 off sixth and with a win in their last game change could be coming.



 Despite a disappointing showing in the league fans have been happily surprised by their performances in the Shield so far. An opening round win over Augsburg was followed by an unexpected victory over Division 1 side Liverpool on penalties after the game ended 1-1. Espanyol will face Bayern Munich in the next round where Earle will hope his side can produce another upset against one of the best teams around. He said he is excited for the players and the opportunity to show just how well the team can perform and said he will keep the cup team in place despite the opponent.

Domingues Claudemir New Centre Man

Following the dip in form from the Spaniards, a few changes were made to the team. Atiba Hutchinson was bought in for £2.7 million from Spartak Moskva. The 33-year-old was initially signed as a short term solution to hold the midfield but may be pushed back into the defence following the signing of Domingues Claudemir. The Brazilian cost £6 million but has been well needed at Espanyol who have looked shaky in midfield. With 32 appearances in the past 2 seasons for Flamengo Earle will hope the position will be held down more firmly. Michiel Kramer has also joined the Spanish side. Signing from Benfica for around £3.3 million the 27-year-old Dutchman is unlikely to make a large impact just yet but Earle has high hopes for the big target man who stands at 6'6". Another new signing is long term Uruguayan target Rodrigo Mora. Earle was prepared to give a high fee to gain his services and parted with £5 million plus Jose Reyes. Fans are excited at the prospect of him partnering up fron with Benjamin Moukandjo who has been in great form so far this season.

Sergi Gomez Not For Sale

It is expected that Espanyol will look to make a few more signings still. Earle is currently searching for a more permanent option to replace Robson Weligton at centre back. Their initial target was Sergi Gomez of Celta Vigo. The 24-year-old has struggled for game time but Espanyol have been told that he is not for sale. Earle has now turned his attention to Mauro Dos Santos of Aston Villa. The Argentine defender is not often used at Villa as there are several players ahead of him. Talks are in very early stages and it is still unclear whether a deal will materialise. Additional depth in defence is also being looked at by Espanyol. Paul Baysse has been targeted by the Spaniards as one of the primary targets. The 28-year-old currently plays in Division 3 for Saint-Etienne and Earle is hopeful that he can tempt him away. Back up options have also been planned out. After initial enquiries towards Frederik Sorensen and Dominique Heintz of Cologne were rejected Earle turned his attention to Sebastian De Maio of Hellas Verona. The 29-year-old is available and Espanyol may be willing to match his asking price if their pursuit of Paul Baysse is unsuccessful. Rumours have also suggested an improved offer for Aritz Elustondo may be submitted after the initial two were rejected. Earle is very keen to bring in the 22-year-old in but knows that FC Porto will be adamant to keep him. Advances for David Junca and and Anor Juanpi for Everton have been rejected along with offers for Tom Ince and Diego Laxalt. Several other players have been linked to Espanyol but it is unclear whether any have been approached yet. Ragnar Klavan has had several offers put in for him but it is unexpected that Earle will let the Estonian go until a solid replacement is brought in.