Rafa Mir will join Valencia on a loan deal this season with a €5m buy option. Alaves winger Luis Rioja joins Valencia on a deal worth around €1.3m. Both Valencia and VfB Stuttgart are interested in Inter Milan striker Martin Satriano (23 yo from Uruguay), who was on loan at French club Brest last season. He had 4 goals and 4 assists across 33 matches in which Brest qualified for the Champions League. Inter will look for something between €7m to €10m.
Valencia have targeted midfielder Pedro Diaz (25 yo) who has to leave bankrupt French club FC Girondins de Bordeaux. Bordeaux is abandoning their professional status and thus releases all of their players. Playing in league 2, Diaz had 7 goals and 4 assists across 38 matches. He wants to return to Spain.
Valencia want another winger and the one they are targeting now is Norwegian Mohamed Elyounoussi, who is currently with FC Copenhagen. He is 29 yo and has 55 NT caps for Norway. Last season for Copenhagen, he had 14 goals and 8 assists in 46 matches. Possibly a loan deal, but his release clause of €3m is pretty cheap, methinks.
Valencia are taking striker Dani Gomez on loan from 2nd division side Levante. Ruben Baraja managed Gomez when they were together in Tenerife, where Gomez scored 9 goals in 26 starts. That was the 2019-20 season
Week 1: 0-0-1 0 points Valencia dropped home opener 1-2 to Barcelona. Diego Lopez cross headed in by Hugo Duro for the goal. Barcelona favored by ref, of course; 50/50 challenge in Valencia box gifted Barcelona a PK, 50/50 challenge in Barce box, no PK for Valencia. Cubarsi with two clear fouls back to back, one is a yellow card, the other .... ummm, don't want any sendings off. La Liga is still asymmetrical in that sense. Goals - Assists Duro 1 - 0 Lopez 0 - 1 Goals scored: 1 Goals conceded: 2 Clean sheets: 0
It looks like Valencia and Liverpool are getting closer to a deal for Mamardashvili. But, instead of loaning him to Bournemouth as was the original plan, Georgi would remain with Valencia for the rest of the season, on loan. He wants to stay in Valencia rather than some dreary English town. Smart man, he. Meanwhile, Alaves are interested in taking CB Cenk Ozkacar from Valencia. He has fallen in the pecking order due to the rise in Mosquera and Gasiorowski.
Lost 3-1 away to Celta in Vigo. Diego Lopez with an early goal, assisted by Rafa Mir, but then the defense leaked 3 goals. Mosquera and Yarek left a huge gap on the second goal for Iaspas to ghost into and score. And Jesus Vazquez made some really poor decisions at the LB position. Already in the relegation zone. Goals - Assists Lopez 1 - 1 Duro 1 - 0 Mir 0 - 1 Goals scored: 2 Goals conceded: 5 Clean sheets: 0
Possible loan deal of Paraguayan CB Alexis Duarte from Spartak Moscow. The 24 yo would be brought in using the money saved by ridding themselves of Cenk's salary.
With Mamardashvili money on board, Valencia are looking at Argentine midfielder Enzo Barrenechea, who is currently with Aston Villa. He was just bought from Juventus for €8m this summer, but the Aston Villa trainer doesn't have him in his plans. Barrenechea spent last season on loan at Frosinone in Serie A (32 starts), which is some good experience. Given that Andre Almeida might still get sold before the weekend, Valencia are looking for a replacement. It would be a loan deal. Barrenechea came up through the Newell's Old Boys system in Rosario, Argentina; the same club that started Lionel Messi's career.
Week 3: 0-0-3 0 points Dropped away match 1-0 to Athletic in Bilbao. Offense essentially non-existent. Goals - Assists Lopez 1 - 1 Duro 1 - 0 Mir 0 - 1 Goals scored: 2 Goals conceded: 6 Clean sheets: 0
Week 4: 0-1-3 1 point The horrible start to the season continues. Drew 1-1 at home to Villarreal. Pepelu corner volleyed home by Duro, but then the defense lets up in extra time at the end of the first half and Villarreal score to equalize. Villarreal had a red card sending off at 68' but Valencia couldn't punch the ball home against 10. I don't know. Maybe they can beat Leganes. Goals - Assists Duro 2 - 0 Lopez 1 - 1 Mir 0 - 1 Pepelu 0 - 1 Goals scored: 3 Goals conceded: 7 Clean sheets: 0
Valencia better get it going. Tough match this weekend. Villarreal rescue all 3 points from a bumbling Mallorca.
The world is better when the Valencian community is fighting and competing. (Yes, I'm Culer, but you guys are our cousins.) Now the Madrid community, OTOH.....
Week 5: 0-1-4 1 point Valencia got a 3-0 butt kicking in Madrid from Atletico. First minutes for Valera and Barrenechea in sub roles. Goals - Assists Duro 2 - 0 Lopez 1 - 1 Mir 0 - 1 Pepelu 0 - 1 Goals scored: 3 Goals conceded: 10 Clean sheets: 0
Are the supporters well and truly ANGERED? Tough match, but propping up the table cant be acceptable.
Well, for several years, fans in the stands hold up "Lim OUT" signs. They want Peter Lim to sell the club since he refuses to put money into improving the squad, or finishing the new stadium which has sat unfinished for 17 years! But, what to do? They have a very young squad, and will struggle to get points this season.
Week 6: 1-1-4 4 points Valencia 2-0 Girona A 2-minute period in the second half changed the match around. At 56' Valencia nicked the ball high up the pitch and Rioja took a shot immediately that, although going wide, was deflected in by a Girona defender; thus, an own goal. And two minutes later, Pepelu stole the ball in midfield and fed Dani Gomez who immediately took a shot that also deflected past the GK from a Girona defender. Difference is that his shot was goalward bound anyway. Tough defense and a world class save from Mamardashvili (MotM) kept a clean sheet. Goals - Assists Duro 2 - 0 Lopez 1 - 1 Pepelu 0 - 2 Gomez 1 - 0 Mir 0 - 1 Opp own goal 1 Goals scored: 5 Goals conceded: 10 Clean sheets: 1
Soccerway is now giving the first goal to Rioja, from a Pepelu assist. Goals - Assists Pepelu 0 - 3 Duro 2 - 0 Lopez 1 - 1 Rioja 1 - 0 Gomez 1 - 0 Mir 0 - 1 Goals scored: 5 Goals conceded: 10 Clean sheets: 1
Week 7: 1-2-4 5 points Dropped two points at home, 0-0, hosting an Osasuna side that had lost its other two away matches. Good to see a strong defense and clean sheet, but offense continues to struggle for goal-scoring chances. Hugo Duro and Fran Perez both returned from injuries in sub roles. Goals - Assists Pepelu 0 - 3 Duro 2 - 0 Lopez 1 - 1 Rioja 1 - 0 Gomez 1 - 0 Mir 0 - 1 Goals scored: 5 Goals conceded: 10 Clean sheets: 2
Week 8: 1-2-5 5 points Soundly beaten again, this time 3-0 away to Real Sociedad. Very disappointing season. Goals - Assists Pepelu 0 - 3 Duro 2 - 0 Lopez 1 - 1 Rioja 1 - 0 Gomez 1 - 0 Mir 0 - 1 Goals scored: 5 Goals conceded: 13 Clean sheets: 2
Week 9: 1-3-5 6 points Away draw 0-0 at fellow relegation candidates Leganes. This is a team that Valencia should be able to beat anywhere, anytime. Both clubs did try attacking but the first shot on goal was by Valencia at 81'. Late in the match, Diego Lopez came on and provided more offense than before his entrance. And Mamardashvili made a stretched out save on Leganes' only shot on goal. Clean sheet, but boy does the offense vacuum. Goals scored: 5 Goals conceded: 13 Clean sheets: 3