Espanyol Fixing Up

Since the final week of the season Earle has been working to improve his squad after failing to finish in the top half of Division 5. Since the 12th of October Espanyol have brought in a total of 12 players with 3 more signings confirmed and a number more still on the cards. 7 players have also departed the club and Earle has told a further 8 players that they are surplus to requirements.

What’s Changed Already?
October 12th – With just one game left of the season and Espanyol set to remain in the bottom division Earle set about developing the squad. With the midfield in jeopardy Mathieu Flamini was brought in from Hellas Verona. The 32 year old Frenchman cost the Spaniard £3.6 million and was immediately put into the starting line up for the final game of the season. Later that day Francesco Margiotta signed a 3 season contract with the club. The Italian forward had been a free before joining Earles side. Michiel Kramer departed for Go Ahead Eagles for £2.4 million while Mahmut Tekdemir left for Napoli for a £4 million price tag. Sofiane Hanni joined Anderlecht for £5.8 million, which is more than double what Earle payed for the Algerian in March.

Jean-Victor Makengo

October 13th – Having made just 3 appearances since signing in June, Omer Ali Sahiner moved back to Konyaspor for £2.6 million. Espanyol followed this up by signing 3 extremely exciting youth signings. 18 year old Jean-Victor Makengo joined from Benfica for a fee of £3.5 million. The young midfielder was joined by fellow Frenchman Paulin Puel. The 19 year old switched to the Spaniards from Cruzeiro fetching the Brazilians £1.5 million. Earle also convinced Ezequiel Barco to move to the Barcelona based club ahead of over 10 other clubs including Real Madrid, Juventus and Roma. The 17 year old signed a 4 year deal and adds to the small youth side.
October 14th – Alexandu Epureanu left Espanyol to rejoin Turkish side Istanbul Basaksehir. The 30 year old played a key role in the impressive shield run but was no longer needed in the squad. Espanyol accepted the £3 million offer which saw the defender depart.
October 15th – Following several strong bids Earle finally allowed Onyinye Ndidi to depart the team. The Nigerian headed to Real Madrid for a fee of around £5 million plus Diogo Jota who Earle has praised on multiple occasions. The 19 year old made an immediate impact off the bench when he set up Espanyols goal in their first post season friendly. Another Portuguese star also signed for Earles side in the form of Iuri Medeiros. Signing from Sporting for a fee of £5.9 million, the 22 year old played in the first friendly of the post season. Also making appearances in the friendly were Gideon Jung and Raul Albentosa who signed from Hamburg and Deportivo respectively for a combined fee of £6.3 million.

Pedro Leon

October 16th – Another developmental signing came in the form of Said Benrahma. Costing a mere £1 million from Nice, Earle said this was one to watch for the future.
October 20th – With many rumours surrounding him, Edin Visca had an offer accepted for him. The 26 year old had an impressive time at Espanyol having joined from Tottenham last season. Having made 49 appearances he managed to net 7 goals and assist 13 more, many teams expressed interest. Udinese made the winning bid with Pedro Leon and Joel Pohjanpalo joining the Spanish side. Pedro Leon is expected to replace the Bosnian on the wing while the Finnish forward is expected to have to fight for a spot.

What’s Been Agreed?
Seydou Keita has flown into Espanyol ahead of a medical with the Spanish side. Earle and Prince came to an agreement over the 36 year old with a bid of just below £1 million being accepted. Earle made it clear that Keita would be a clear starter in the squad, after helping Olympiacos to the Division 5 title the the veteran proved he still has a lot to offer. Another central midfielder set to join is Vincent Koziello. The 20 year old will join from Juventus on a season long loan and is likely to be selected in favour of Mathieu Flamini. Also coming in on loan is Guido Carrillo from Monaco. With Rodrigo Mora expected to depart and Earle looking to use two centre forwards this season, the Argentine is expected to be used ahead of Sandro Wagner on the bench but the two will partner in the cup.

What Are The Rumours?

Nathan Redmond

Earle has told around 8 players to find new clubs. Rodrigo Mora, Domingues Claudemir, Atiba Hutchinson, Okay Yokuslu, Abdoulaye Doucoure, Aleksandr Erokhin, Salvador Agra and Christian Kabasele have all been added to the transfer list. Earle is also expected to be in the market for a new right back and has made several bids which he is awaiting responses for. Espanyol have also made it clear that Nathan Redmond is not available. Having previously stated that offers would be considered Earle quickly changed his decision. But having had an impressive game in their friendly against Spartak Moskva the Englishman has now been labelled as the clubs biggest asset.