After 4 seasons of real struggle at Napoli, Mullan has finally landed the job he craved, by getting the opportunity to takeover at 8th Place Division 1 side Espanyol. Espanyol have punched above their weight a little under their former manager to establish themselves in Division 1.

There can be no excuses from the new Manager on this gig, this is not the mess that Napoli were in when he took that hot seat with the team rooted at the bottom of the table 20 points from safety.

So what about Espanyol?

Mullan takes the reigns with 14 of the 47 players in the squad the wrong side of 30. With there a clear missing second tier of players to succeed the likes of Busquets, Di Maria, Bonucci, Alba, Trippier, Herrera, Paulinho, Aspas, Matip, Handonovic, Caceres, and Alonso.

"We assessed things pretty quickly, and the things shouting at straight away was there was no out and out goalscorer and its a very ageing squad. The choice, was simple, we stick and watch players retire or downgrade, or we try and trade with the saleable assets, which in Espanyol's case was Koke, Maguire and Traore We've chosen the latter option although our first two deals saw younger players leave and two more over 30's arrive. Aguero arriving is massive. Rated 93 and a proven goalscorer, he is worth 2 or 3 places up the table if you can feed him.

Fernandinho was next to join, he is rated 91 and maybe 36, but it was his ability to play both centre back and centre midfield which attracted us to going for him. We knew if we can get him in to cover for a season or two, it would open up the option of selling Maguire if we can get a really good trade. We gave Moncayola, for him which probably raised an eyebrow or too, given he is due a decent rise and therefore was a big asset to the club. Sometimes its about the calculated gamble and joined up thinking.

We followed that up by arguably one of the most intense negotiations i've had in 12 years of SM, with Standard Liege who wanted to aquire, Koke, Maguire and Trippier. At one point the discussions had up to 9 players swapping clubs. Throughout 24 hours of back and forwards, different players from Liege being thrown in the mix, it got got to near midnight last night and the deal was dead. Our valuation could not be met, and other clubs were now in for our players. By lunchtime today Koke and Maguire seemed destined to join another club as talks were at an advanced stage. Then out of the blue, Liege put a final offer on the table of Brozovic, Ndidi and Fekir, which met our valuation ,criteria of positions and age and the deal was struck. We are pleased to get these three players in, and despite losing our best centre back and highest rated player in Koke, this gives us a little more depth.

Another on off deal was Di Maria, we pretty much agreed a deal with Celta Vigo, and I wasted a lot of time on this, With Raphinia and a youngster joining. They offered the deal with a choice of 3 youngsters, we picked one. They then asked could they decide the youngster which they chose Alberto. We agreed to Alberto, and then after agreeing the deal they backed out. I've never backed out of an agreed deal before, and have been stung during rating changes over night, where i've took my eye off the ball and walked straight into a player which has just got downgraded. More annoyingly we had two other clubs in for Di Maria, who we had to say no to, and then they agreed deals with other clubs for their players. We live, we learn, we move on.

This evening we opted to let Herrera go to Olympiacos which i think long term is a good one for us. We lose a solid 90 rated midfielder, but grab two South Americans with lots of promise . I'm excited we've bagged Enzo Fernandez in particular, whilst also joining is Facundo Torres. We want to try and build a solid base of young players in our under 21's with the emphasis on probability of improvement. These two certainly fill that Criteria.

I'm not expecting any more outgoings now in terms of major deals. We are still talking to a couple of clubs regarding Trippier, but I think thats us pretty much done until the end of the season. We've a few injury/fitness issues at present, which is not the best preparation for tomorrows game with Man City. Aguero is likely to miss out starting against his former club as he is not fully fit, whilst we will also be without Di Maria, Busquets, Bonucci and Aspas. Right there is pretty much our best players all missing. Its probably going to mean a big formation change to try and put a competitive side out.

Regarding the future, I'm looking forwards to testing myself against the some of the best managers in top 100. Its interesting, in the last 48 hours I've talked and held negotiations with a total different spectrum of managers, who i never could at Napoli due to not having a single player any of the better teams wanted. Its a gamble to break up a team mid season, results historically fall off. However i'm happy with our business and hooefully at some point we can improve on the clubs previous best achievements.

After finally gaining promotion from Division 5, Espanyol will be looking to push up the leagues and make up for lost time. Last time Earle was in Division 4 he took over an aging, deflated Espanyol squad destined for the drop. Despite a valiant effort from the newly formed squad they were relegated on the final day of the campaign to begin a 4 season stay in the bottom division. However, after losing in the playoff final the previous year, Espanyol clinched their promotion spot in season 6 to return to where it all started, but with a majorly improved squad. This season promises to be one of the most exciting and successful in the clubs history for a number of reasons ranging from the talent in the first team to the number of tournaments to the development of players.

3 seasons of waiting will finally pay off: Benjamin Hubner.

Espanyol have never looked so strong at the start of a season as they do now. Defensive solidity has always been an issue for Earle but it looks as though the team will be able to hold their own after some good player development. With the likes of Loic Perrin and Andujar Coke already developed, one problem was finding the correct players to fill the back line. While several players were brought in to fix these issues, it has been members already in the squad who have stepped forward to take the places. Benjamin Hubner has bided his time in the team and moved from strength to strength in his 3 seasons since joining. Following the sale of Nicolas Pareja, Hubner was able to pick up a first team spot and will likely be used as a starter this season. Left back was another position to fill and Fernando Marcal has emerged as the dominant option in that area. After joining from Basel he was expected to play as back up to Georgi Schennikov but was able to become the favourite after some good performances. With new signings Nathan Ake and Cuco Martina as well as develoing squad members Jose Luis Palomino and Ander Capa, the teams defensive depth is also looking impressive. This isn't the only defensive improvement to the club either. Danijel Subasic is the best keeper the club have had since Earle arrived and Etrit Berisha is also one of the most impressive. These two key members could prove vital to the team in the league and cups.
While improving their defence, Espanyol have also managed to bolster their attacking options adding Brazilian duo Alex Teixeira and Goncalves Jonas to their ranks. Teixeira has already shown some promise at the club, helping them to victory in the playoffs, while Jonas is due to arrive just as the season starts. The additions of these two stars seemed to put question marks over the future of Iago Aspas who was heavily linked with a move to Hamburg. Despite this, Aspas remained at the club and is expected to take up a wider role than last year. The 30-year-old has also been named club captain once again.
Jens Toornstra has also arrived at the club after 6 seasons at Feyenoord. The 29-year-old offers added depth in the midfield after the sales of Roberto Pereyra and Joshua Guilavogui. Edin Visca has re-joined after arriving back in Earles debut season. In his two seasons with Espanyol, Visca played 48 games scoring 7 and assisting 13. Earle has said he is delighted to have brought him back and is excited to work with the Bosnian again.

The man in demand: Guido Burgstaller

Other key members of the squad were also kept and are expected to sign contract extensions in the next few days. Luis Pizzi, Eduardo Salvio and Carlos Bacca have all said they have no intention of leaving and want to help the club succeed. Guido Burgstaller has also said he wants to stay and fight for a spot after he impressed Earle with a hat trick in the first leg of the playoffs. The Austrian has had interest from Hellas Verona and Marseille along with three other clubs although no official contact has been made as of yet.
With the notably stronger squad and improved depth, the chairman has told Earle that promotion is the target yet again. Earle has said he has the same target and that the players are motivated and determined to get back to back promotions. The club also aren't fully done in the transfer market. Several more players are set to arrive in the next few days after previously agreed deals. It is also believed that Espanyol are still on the hunt for on more midfielder.
The improved squad has also lead to the club opting to participate in five club competitions this season. These will include Division 4, Top 100 Cup, Top 100 Shield, World Club Cup and Youth Cup.

With the option to join the youth cup, a vigorous recruiting process began. With just a handful of youth stars, the recruitment team had to bring in almost an entire squad. Earle said he wanted to keep Andriy Lunin and Ezequiel Barco in the team after the duo impressed on their loan spells last season. Earle has been able to bring in three key defenders for the tournament with right back Silvan Hefti and centre back Ertugrul Ersoy both joining from Liverpool. Bogdan Mykhaylychenko also arrived to fill in at left back. The 20-year-old free agent was snapped up on a 3 year deal and Earle has said he has high expectations. Both Stefan Posch and Boubacar Kamara will hope to fill the final defensive spot although it looks more likely that the club will attempt to bring in someone on loan for the tournament. Jerry St. Juste is rumoured to be their number one target and initial reports claim that Southampton are willing to let him join Espanyol on loan if he is still at the club come the start of the tournament.
Espanyol are also one of nine clubs who are attempting to sign centre back Lucas Martinez Quarta from Los Andres. The 21-year-old was put up for sale for bids of around £5.5 million and is now set to pick between teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and many more. The Argentine was previously at Espanyol but left for Internazionale two seasons ago.

Taking the number 11 shirt: Andreas Pereira.

In midfield Tanguy Ndombele is waiting to complete his move from Monaco. The 21-year-old showed just how much Espanyol were looking to improve their youngster as they let Joshua Guilavogui go to bring in the Monaco star. The deal also saw Josip Brekalo join the Spaniards. Brekalo is likely to play an important role on the wing along with long term Espanyol youth Ezequiel Barco. The midfielder likely to play along side Ndombele is reported to be Donny Van de Beek who has agreed a season long loan in Spain.
Earles crown jewel of the youth squad is new arrival Andreas Pereira who will act as the central attacking midfielder in the squad. The Brazilian wasn't initially expected to be eligible for the tournament but slipped just inside the brackets by a few hours. Espanyol also picked up Isaac Mbenza from Liverpool who will act as the primary youth striker. One further big youth signing is the exciting Hassane Bande who will join from Hertha Berlin at the end of the month.

So far in their pre-season games Espanyol have faced Lokomotiv Moskva and Wolfsburg. They beat Lokomotiv 1-0 with a goal from Pizzi and earned a respectable draw against the Division 1 Germans. They will now face FC Porto, Sampdoria and Stuttgart before kicking off the season away at Torino. Other big games in the first half of the season include Hellas Verona on the 8th, Standard Liege on the 11th, Anderlecht on the 22nd and Monaco on the 25th all in February.
Whether Espanyol can go on and earn a second successive promotion remains to be seen but currently they look in good shape to challenge for a high finish this season.

With the season at the midway point, Espanyol look to be replicating the same mistakes as last season which saw them miss out on promotion. They sit 7th in the league with 30 points and a record of 9 wins, 3 draws, and a shocking 7 defeats.

The inability of the team to take their chances seems to be a regular occurence with most of their defeats coming from games which they have completely dominated. Only one team in the top half of the table has conceded more goals this season than Espanyol have, which has lead to questions asked of the defence and keeper, however, their attacking play has also been underwhelming with just 25 goals in the league despite a huge number of chances created. As expected at the start of the season, Iago Aspas has led the team in goals, assists and performance rating. In his 19 league appearances he has assisted 5 goals and netted 10 of his own putting him 3rd in the goal scoring tables. Luis Pizzi and Eduardo Salvio have also shown their worth to the club picking up 7 goals and 7 assists between them. Another stand out performer, despite fairly poor defensive displays, has been Nicolas Pareja who has contributed 4 goals so far which makes him the 3rd top scorer in the squad.


Despite several strong individual seasons, it still seems that most of the players have been struggling. The club were knocked out of the Shield in Round 1 after suffering a 3-1 loss to PSG and lost to Chelsea in Round 2 of the Cup after a bye in the first round. Similarly, poor results saw them drop out of the World Club Cup at the group stages after just 1 win out of 6 games. There are two players, however, who are experiencing cup success this season. Andriy Lunin and Ezequiel Barco have both featured in the Youth Cup while loaned out. Barco has picked up 3 assists and a goal for Sporting in 8 appearances while Lunin has been a standout performer for the Fenerbahce youth team by earning 4 man of the match awards in his 8 games. Earle has praised the two teenagers for their performances and has said he believes they have the potential to be first team players soon.

Earle has been unusually quiet in the transfer market during the season and has held faith in the players he brought in at the start of the season to do their jobs. The only first team addition was Joshua Guilavogui who joined from Marseille in mid September. However, due to the disappointing standing of the team, Earle has now made some changes. Club captain Roque Mesa has been sold to Boca Juniors in a deal which will see Nathan Ake join the Spaniards later in the season. To fill the midfield Earle has swooped in to sign Roberto Pereyra from Division 1 side Valencia. French duo Aldo Kalulu and Alexandre Mendy both left in the other direction and will be followed by Nacho Gil at the end of the month. Fans were shocked that Earle was able to convince Pereyra to join the club who are 4 Divisions below his former side. Jimmy Durmaz was also confirmed to be joining Espanyol after growing concerned at Malaga. Free agent Ruben Aguilar has also arrived in Espanyol for contract talks and is expected to sign later today. Espanyol have also been strongly linked with Miguel Veloso and are believed to have made several bids for the midfielder although it now seems that a move is off. Thomas Delaney is another who Earle has been chasing but so far no offers have been accepted. With some of the younger players in the squad moving their way up, some of the older members have also been Transfer Listed. Robert Snodgrass, Pedro Leon, Edgar Barreto and Juraj Kucka have all been told they can leave if the correct offers come in. The club have said that there are still a few players that they are looking to bring in if possible but they may struggle to attain some of their targets.

Despite the lacklustre performances so far, Earle has stated that he still believes the club will gain promotion due to the quality within the squad. With 57 points on offer in the final 19 games, Earle has set the team a target of 40 which should see them move up the table. A personal target has also been set for Iago Aspas to beat Anthony Modeste's goal record of 17 last season, and with 10 already to his name, he should be able to. With the added creativity of Pereyra in the middle and several other players starting to push for first team places, it looks as though they may be on the up. If the defence can tighten up and more chances are taken by the forwards then there is no reason the team cant move up the league and into automatic promotion spots.

Anthony Modeste (Teams top scorer)

Bafetimbi Gomis (6 goals in all competitions)

Issa Diop (Youth sensation)

With the major league ratings due soon I have had a look over my squad and have a general idea of what I expect to see in terms of rating changes. Being a Division 5 team we struggle to sign top names and so must focus more on lower rated players and hope they get the rating they deserve. Obviously this isn’t always the case and many players have been left at low ratings and had to be sold off to bring in new potential risers. Having been at Espanyol for nearly 2 seasons this process is both time consuming and often frustrating. Obviously some of my expectations wont come off and so I’ve split them into “likely rises” and “hopeful rises” and on top of that this is SM and so ratings are pretty unpredictable. I have also only included those with potentials of 86+ and will make a shortlist of the others at the bottom.
Keepers

Tom Heaton (85>87) Likely
Do I even need to explain this one? The 30 year old has been fantastic this season and has earned many expecting a chance in goal for England. Some stats don’t look great such as 19 goals conceded in 12 games and only 3 clean sheets, but considering the squad he’s in it’s hard to blame him. Top performances against Southampton, Everton and Manchester United show he deserves a rise.

Defence

Raul Albentosa (85>86) Likely
Spending last season on loan at Malaga saw the 28 year old recieve a one rating rise from 84. Having joined Deportivo from Derby in the summer he has started all but one game this season in La Liga. With an average rating of 6.8 Albentosa has been Deportivos best centre back of the season (out performing Sidnei who is rated 87). Surely a rating of 86 is deserved despite the teams league position.

Pedro Bigas (85>86) Likely
Another one from La Liga is Las Palmas defender Bigas. His last rise came in 2013 when he went up by 5, since then he has improved further making 27 appearances last season with an average rating of 7.2. This form has been replicated this season with ratings averaging around 7.1 in his 10 showings. Considering the impressive season Las Palmas had last season he could push for 87 (or maybe I’m just being biased… probably…)

Benjamin Hubner (85>86) Likely
Joining Hoffenheim from Ingolstadt this summer the German made a slow start. Hubner was left out of the squad for the first 5 games but was a starter against his former side in the 6th league game. An impressive debut led to him being awarded a rating of over 7.85. He has started the past 7 games helping the team to an undefeated run and earning a rating of 7.2 on average.

Ragnar Klavan (87>88) Hopefully
Following his shock move to Liverpool in the summer I’ve been pretty intrigued to see how he does. Unfortunately he’s not done too much. A total of 6 appearances (4 in the league) has shown he is capable at the back with rating of around 6.85. It was disappointing to see Leiva played at CB ahead of him against Watford. The only real reason I may expect a rise is due to the level Liverpool are and that he has mad a few strong appearances.

Joseba Zaldua (85>86) Hopefully
Having started the season well appearing in 6 out of 7 games a rise looked likely. However, a foot injury has halted his season and with his return date unknown it could be costly. I hope his good start earn him his rise but if not it’s easy to see why.

Patric Lalau (85>86) Hopefully
Currently playing in Brazil Lalau has scored 4 in 19 games and assisted 4 more. My knowledge of the Brazilian league is pretty poor but Atletico MG are 4th and the league has a number of solid teams in it. Another one I hope can get a plus one but wouldn’t be shocked if he doesn’t.

Midfield

Roque Mesa (85>87) Likely
Another one from Las Palmas with the rapidly improving Roque Mesa. The midfielders value has increased by around 6x since February and has started all 12 games with pass success of over 92% this season. The 27 year old is surely going up 1 but I feel that a plus 2 would be more fitting.

Amir Abrashi (85>86) Likely
An impressive season in the Swiss league earned the 26 year old a move to newly promoted Bundesliga side Freiburg. With 9 appearances in the league and the club looking to have a solid season I’d expect the Albanian to go up to 86.

Lukas Rupp (85>87) Likely
Having had a good season in 2015/16, Rupp couldn’t save Stuttgart from relegation and was picked up by Hoffenheim in the summer. He has featured in all but one league game this season scoring twice and averaging a rating of 7.11 when he has started. On top of that the club is undefeated and so surely a rise to 86 is sure and 87 is likely.

Wing

Nathan Redmond (86>88) Likely
I’m including him as a winger despite being used as a forward at Southampton. I expected him to rise last season despite relegation and was a bit disappointed that he didn’t but it has played out well as he got a huge move to a top club where he has hit great form. 3 goals so far for a young player fresh from a new move and being used in a new position is good in my opinion and surely the 22 year old deserves a plus 2.

Nabil El Zhar (86>87) Likely
The ex-Liverpool winger has been very strong this season at Las Palmas (yeah I like these guys aha). He started the first 5 games of the season and scored twice assisting 2 more, he missed 4 games through injury but if he can get back into his early season form then he will surely go up but deserves the rise anyway.

Sabin Merino (85>86) Likely
Aged just 24, the winger hasn’t stamped his spot in the starting line up yet, however, he has featured in 7 games so far this season helping Bilbao to 8th in the table. Considering the level of the club and some decent performances I feel Merino deserved at least a plus 1.

Forwards

Sandro Wagner (86>87) Likely
Another new recruit for Hoffenheim this season having joined from Darmstadt in the summer. The tall German has started 11 out of 12 games this season scoring 5 goals. He has also netted in the cup and averaged a rating of 7.27 overall this season. Considering the teams unbeaten run and that Wagner is their current top scorer the forward deserves a rating of 87.

Guido Carrillo (86>87) Likely
The super sub for Monaco is a tricky one to predict. His side currently sit top of the French League and he has definitely had a hand to play in their success. Carrillo has scored 2 goals from 4 starts and a further 3 off the bench. With the position in the league and an average rating of 7.00 the 25 year old deserves a rise.

Ivan Santini (84>86) Likely
Since joining Caen this season the forward has been very strong. With 5 goals in 12 league appearances along with goals in the Belgian cup and league for Liege from before his move his total so far is very impressive. Playing in a poorer team it’s harder to perform well but Santini surely deserves a rise and hopefully it’ll be to 86.

Others

Erick Cabaco (80>83)
Gideon Jung (82>85)
Jean Makengo (78>80)
Paulin Puel (76>79)
Joel Pohjanpalo (82>84)
Pedro Tana (83>85)
Jorge Burgui (82>85)

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.

Following last seasons relegation from Division 4 Espanyol were tipped as one of the top contenders to push for promotion and bonce back under the reign of Earle, who had nearly saved them from relegation the season before. This, however, is not what happened for the Barcelona based club. Sloppy losses, inconsistency and poor team morale left Espanyol in 12th after the final game of the season. This left fans felling underwhelmed, disappointed and unsure of the clubs future. Despite this many fans stated that they don't wan to see Earle sacked. One fan said the following;
"It's not his fault at all, its not been a great season but how do the club expect him to do without the correct funding? 50% of the teams money comes from his transfer profits on developing players, if they aren't giving him the resources needed then how will we ever move forward?" 
This point of view was shared by many who felt the club needed to invest more in the success of the team than the success of the franchise. Despite the poor finish, Earle has remained adamant that the season wasn't actually that bad. A great shield run, some big transfers and talks of several new contracts should breath hope into the fans for next season. Following the game against Flamengo Earle spoke out in a press conference about the season and about his views and his future;
"Well I know that some will be disappointed with how the season has gone, but not me. I think its a tough league, it has some great teams, and when you look at it we were 3 points off playoffs. You know, that's how close it is. One more win and everyone would be saying it's a great season. What they're forgetting is this was our first full season together, me and the team. And it's made harder by being in a new league with very high, almost unrealistic, expectations. I said last season that it may take a season, or maybe even two, before we properly adapt and move up the leagues. But it's not all about the league. People seem to be forgetting our fantastic Shield run. For a small team like us to get to the Quarter Finals, and even then not lose until penalties, that's impressive. And that's before we mention who we were up against. I've said before I want to do as best I can for the team and so next season I'm looking to improve us. I'm not going anywhere, we have the players capable of doing well, we just need the right formula and a bit of consistency. The club is in talks with several players to get new contracts in place and we feel once that's done the players will be more relaxed and will be able to focus on their football a bit more and hopefully it will show".
Earle has signed a new 2 year contract himself since the press conference dismissing any rumours of a move away from the Spaniards. Fans were asked to complete a questionnaire of the seasons, the results are as follows.


Best Game of the Season?
Espanyol 3-2 Bayern (92.7% of votes)
Having beaten Augsburg and Liverpool to get to Round 3 of the cup, players and fans alike expected reality to hit them when the Division one German giants came to visit. However, the Spaniards put up a fight and were 2-1 up by half time thanks to a Sandro Wagner brace. By the 80th minute it was back level at 2-2. With 4 minutes left, substitute Christian Kabasele shocked the away fans by putting the Spanish side 3-2 up. Espanyol proceeded to the quarters thanks to one of the clubs most historic victories.

Worst Game of the Season?
H Berlin 4-0 Espanyol (73.2% of votes)
A game which many say cost Espanyol their season. With Earle having returned home due to a family emergency, French assistant coach, Rami Tupmass, decided to play the youth squad, who had been defeated the night before. Berlin went on to win the game 4-0 and hand Espanyol their biggest defeat of the season. Following the game the assistant coach was fired and Richard Blower was brought in.

Best Player of the Season?

Benjamin Moukandjo

Benjamin Moukandjo (84.9% of votes)
Benjamin Moukandjo was signed on the 16th of June for £6.2 million making him Earles most expensive signing. Having missed the first 4 games due to Espanyols transfer ban, The Cameroon international got off to good start in his first 2 games. However, it was the third game of the season where fans got a taste of his ability when the forward netted 3 times in a 4-2 victory over Dynamo Moskva. In his next 31 starts this season he bagged 12 goals while setting up 11 more and picking up 8 man of the match awards in the process.

Biggest Let Down of the Season?
Rodrigo Mora (62.5% of votes)
Having signed from Dynamo Moskva on July 15th in exchange for £5 million and Jose Antonio Reyes, fans were expecting big performances. With Benjamin Moukandjo in good form, the Uruguayan was picked to play on the wing with the occasional game up front. However, the 28 year old failed to deliver and was soon dropped to the bench. Since signing he has made 13 appearances (6 off the bench) yet he has only contributed 1 goal and 1 assist. As a result Earle has told the forward to pack his bags as he is no longer needed at the club.

Willy Caballero

Best Signing of the Season?
Willy Caballero (6.7% of votes) (Benjamin Moukandjo 88.4% but excluded)
Having already highlighted Benjamin Moukandjo we decided to exclude the forward. In 2nd was veteran keeper Willy Caballero. Having joined from Chievo Verona for £5.5 million the 35 year old went straight into the first team replacing Volkan Demirel. The Argentine keeper has played 30 games this season and has been awarded man of the match on 3 occasions. Espanyol fans can blame many things on their poor season, but their keeper is not one of them.

Worst Signing of the Season?
Samuele Eto'o (34.2%) (Rodrigo Mora 68% of votes but excluded)
Once again the highest selected player has already been discussed and so has been excluded. In 2nd was Samuele Eto'o who had returned to Espanyol following a spell at Levante. Having joined for £1 million as cover up front the forward made only 5 appearances (all off the bench) in the league. In those games he scored no goals and also had no assists. He also started 5 Shield games where, again, he contributed no goals but assisted 2. He has now been sold to FC Twente for the same price he joined for.

Earle and Espanyol are now looking to strengthen the squad for next season as they look to mount a promotion challenge. Several players have already completed their moves to the Barcelona team with a number being cut as well. Earle has said the core of the team will remain the same but two or three changes will be made. Fans are intrigued to see who will be named captain with Ragnar Klavan, Mathieu Flamini, David Villa and Ricky Alvarez the 4 Earle has named as most likely candidates.

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.

Earles new most expensive signing

Key youth member

Tonight Espanyol will travel to Argentina to face River Plate in a tough Division 4 fixture. Earle has named his starting 11 and it seems Miroslav Klose will make his first start in nearly a month. The German veteran hasn’t scored under Earles reign and suffered a slight injury in the 2-1 win against Torino on March 13th. Following this he was unable to regain his spot in the squad with Borini and Pavoletti becoming the regular starters. Klose is also ready to end his time in Spain with a move to Chievo Verona agreed. Earle is in negotiations as to when the German will depart but it could be as late as the end of the season.  Earle has opted to put Pavoletti on the bench after just one goal in six games. Borini, on the other hand, has been in top form with 6 goals in his 11 games since signing from Lazio. The central midfield duo of Rosicky and Redmond have also hit strong form with 6 goals between them since Earle joined.

In transfer news Alvaro Arbeloa has become the joint most expensive signing for Earle costing £4 million. The 33 year old joined from Everton to help strengthen the still incomplete defence. Eloy Room has also been brought in as back up keeper for £2.4 million from Vitesse. However, with Mariano Andujar on the transfer list, Room could be called upon sooner than expected. Younes Kaboul is also set to make an exit after a training ground bust up. Earle is looking to bring in Ragnar Klavan from Boca Juniors to fill in the space for a fee of £4 million. Earle is also hoping to sign 3 more unknown players when they are better situated financially.
Since joining Earle has helped the Spaniards pick up 19 points in 11 games. With 5 wins, 4 draws and only 2 losses, survival is a real possibility now. Espanyol are now just 6 points off safety and with big games around them the squad will have to jump at their opportunity to rise. With 12 games left, Earle believes that if the teams current form continues they may creep out of the drop zone. He has also said that if worst comes to worst and the team is relegated he has no desire to leave the club unless they release him or a top offer comes along. “If we go down I’ll still be here, unless I’m let go or get an offer I can’t turn down, which is unlikely! But if I’m still here it’s a great opportunity for us to try new styles and possibly start some more developmental projects. No matter what happens, I’m excited for this clubs future! Whether it’s in Division 4 or 5, or maybe even 3, I’m excited. I just hope I’m here to experience it!”