Football Season Guide

Valencia

In


Omar Alderete (def) Hertha Berlin; Cristiano Piccini (def) Atalanta – end of loan; Rubén Sobrino (att) Cadiz – end of loan

Out


Kévin Gameiro (sp) (att) Strasbourg; Eliaquim Mangala (sp) (def) Released; Patrick Cutrone (sp) (att) Wolves – end of loan; Ferro (sp) (def) Benfica – end of loan; Christian Oliva (sp) (mid) Cagliari – end of loan;

Valencia’s 2020/21 campaign was really poor, but that was to be expected. They sold off several important players this time last year, so it was inevitable that they would struggle. There still isn’t much quality in this Valencia squad and they also have a very young and inexperienced squad, since so many youth players have been promoted up to the senior side. Those in charge have done little to improve this situation, as the club continue to prioritise cost-cutting. Any chance of Valencia improving on last season’s 13th place finish, then, will come down to this summer’s coaching change. Former Getafe boss Jose Bordalas has moved to Valencia and will look to achieve what he did at Getafe, which was to build a physical and well-organised team that can perform to more than the sum of its parts. Interestingly, his first match is against the Getafe side he just left, so some interesting conclusions could be drawn from that fixture. Overall, there isn’t much cause for optimism at Valencia. Bordalas is a good coach, but those in charge of the club are being so financially prudent that it’s almost stingy. Another mid-table finish could be on the cards.

Target


Finishing in the top half. Valencia are a big club and a 13th place finish is too low. But, they simply don’t have the quality to expect to qualify for Europe. Aspiring to just be inside the top 10 is their level right now.