Its been a month since Espanyol brought in the new boss, and in that time a lot has happened.

The squad has had a full makeover with no fewer than 12 players added to the youth set up, a feat which has the manager smiling with excitement. "What we inherited here was a side doing well in the league, but with so many players well into their 30's and on the decline, it was only a matter of time before it caught up with the team and the decline started. Wholesale changes is not always the brightest move, but i'm pleased we made that decision. Our youth team now has 17 players who we won't be parting with. I'm really excited by some of them and if the updates are kind over the next couple of years we have some serious talent on our hands".

Away from the youth team, the first team is starting to take shape and results in the main have been promising. The club is picking up points in the league, whilst they jave progressed to the quarter final of the shield. So whats changed? "Our goal per game ratio has increased dramatically, we had far too many draws on the board and not enough wins. We've missed Fekir the last three games as he's started like a house on fire since his arrival from Standard Liege. His creativity has been putting them on a plate for the likes of Aguero. Add into that Sarabia, Raphinha and Under, who are all doing their bit and we have goals in the team. Brozovic has also been chipping in with goals and assist, and has been massive for us since joining. We are only a month in, and we are hoping Ndidi and Raphinha get upgrades on the next English league update. It would further strengthen our first 11, and increase competition for places. We've a few players in their early 20s who now need to show their long term worth, and we'll monitor that over the next season or two. Not everyone can be a 90 plus rated player, and we've plenty with promise, but the reality is we are looking at 4 or 5 who could make that transition."

Espanyol are in a difficult division 1, but there is no excuses from the Manager "its always tough to part with your higher rated players, but we've done that with both eyes open and I strongly believe we have more than enough to be a division 1 team for many a season to come. If this side was to go down then i'd see it as a massive failure on my part, despite the need to lower the age of the squad. This is 100% different to Napoli where we had no starting point and no assets. This club had players to trade and we've done that knowing the risk that comes with it. Yes the likes of Di Maria could of given us another 2 or 3 seasons rated in the 90s bracket, however it would of been harder to get a trade for a player likely to hit the 90s in the next few months. We are fairly comfortable in 8th in Division 1, which is where we were when I joined, so we've not suddenly nose dived. We are now going through a period of transition which is likely to last until the end of next season. However the season after we would be looking to be trying to push into the top 4, which on paper right now looks a tough ask, but i'm quietly confident we have the improvement in us"

Its been all change since Mullan took the reigns at Espanyol after a flurry of transfer activity. However after tonights 3-0 win over Dortmund the spanish side sit a credible seventh in division 1.

There is a big question mark over new signing Aguero's long term future with fears of him retiring growing. However 6 goals in 6 games, has seen the side go from being goal shy, to being more potent in attack. New signings Brozovic and Fekir in particular have settled in well, both assisting and scoring goals.

"we are still in the experimental stage, looking at different tactics, whilst bedding in the new players. We have a few players who will improve during the updates, and it will give us further options. Obviously the news about Aguero is a massive blow and it was a gamble we felt worth taking at the time Sometimes they pay off, and sometimes they dont. His 6 goals in 6 games is exactly why we signed him, however if retirement is confirmed, then that will be a massive void for us to fill, especially in such a competitive division.

I'm liking the look of our youth team, there is some real raw talent in there, and it only takes one or two to really break through to give you options and essential assets. Our aim now is to try and pick up as many points as possible between now and the end of the season to stay in the safe zone, whilst having a good look at all our first team squad options. There is going to be opportunities for the likes of Under, Raphinha, Buanga and Buksa, to get some game time and show us what they can do. We will need to decide which games we throw fringe players in and also how many at any given time. We are pretty solid in 7th, but not really in any danger of pushing towards the top four this season. We have a healthy gap to the drop zone, so it makes perfect sense to me to keep exploring our different options now, rather than being forced to because of an injury/suspension crisis"

A week in football is a long time, and its been all change at Espanyol in the gaffers first week in charge. The entrance and exit doors have been very busy, with a flurry of activity which has seen some big mainstays of the Espanyol furniture move on to pastures new, and new blood arrive.

"As the song goes ITS a new dawn ITs a new day, is very much the theme and feeling of this new project for me. Its a time for new hero's to be born and a for us to try and bridge the gap on some of the bigger clubs for the long term, rather than just compete short term. Making all these changes mid season is a massive gamble with the team comfortably in mid table. However the team was quite off the pace in terms of challenging the top 4 and If i'd waited until the season end, some targets may have got rises, transfers elsewhere, whilst my own players could of dropped but would certainly would of got even older and become less attractive to potential suitors. We looked at the Maguire and Koke situation 28 and 29 respectively and probably maxed out in terms of potential. Do they become less valuable in their 30's? I think when you are trying attract players like Ndidi at 24, worth over £50 million and rising it gets much tougher to get 3 players your way with quality when only parting with two. I think in Ndidi we have a player everyone would love. He is 100% going up to at least 92 in the next update and is the long term Kante in soccer manager. He becomes a massive asset for this club who we can build a team around. Another example would be Raphinha, how long is he staying 89? He is establishing himself as a regular in the Brazil national team and had started this season on fire at Leeds. At just 24 years old joining alongside one of the top scorers in Brazil in Alberto, who is just 20 is very shrewd business when parting with high rated Di Maria 92 and Aspas 91. At 33 and 34 years old, genuinely how many more seasons at the highest level do they have? Where are Espanyol if we don't cash in at the right time? I'm really pleased with the business we've done so far. We don't need to do an awful lot of business now. We've grown the youth team to 17 players, but with some really good prospects in there. In terms of the first team, over the next season or 2, we will look to find a couple of long term centre backs, and fullbacks, and of course the big one is a long term Goalkeeper. Handonovic is currently 37, with our back up keeper not the long term solution. Replacing him is going to be tough given clubs dont want to part with their goalkeepers and many up and coming are already snapped up. The issue with goalkeepers, is once they establish themselves, they tend to keep the number 1 jersey IRL, making it difficult for good goalkeepers who play number 2 or 3 to get gametime, which stops their rating growth. I think Martinez the Argentinian is a great example of this. He has had a mass injection of rises heading into his 30's due to the number of seasons he couldnt get that number 1 shirt at Arsenal.

Looking ahead, we've some tough games coming up against the sides at the top, which is likely to see us have some big losses, and with that a spiral down the table. We play Barcelona tomorrow, who will be licking their lips at the prospect of playing an unsettled Espanoyl, especially as they lost the reverse fixture 3-0. The pressure is on them to keep winning to win the league, my only pressure is to ensure we don't go down as my judgement will be on my first full season"