Girona buying blow

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Girona buying blow

In the northeastern tip of Spain lays a small city named Girona, an hour from the French border. It is known for its medieval walls and historic Jewish quarter, so quaint that Game of Thrones even filmed there. The population is just a touch over ,, dwarfed by their Catalan neighbours Barcelona an hour down the road. No longer. From playing in the fifth tier of Spanish football just 24 years ago, Girona has experienced a meteoric rise. In December, they beat Barcelona for the first time ever — at the famed Camp Nou — to announce their arrival as a legitimate contender in the title race. And now they sit well clear of Barca and Atletico Madrid, who they beat in a thrilling victory last week. New to Kayo? After Leicester City stunned the Premier League by winning the title in on a shoestring budget, Girona are living their own fairytale. The club was mired in financial struggles for much of the latter decades of the century. And in Girona itself, the team was mostly an afterthought. The city once had a basketball team in the national top flight, but football … you had to look elsewhere. But go back to and the stadium would usually play host to just supporters as the team competed in the fifth level of Spanish football, almost exclusively playing other Catalonian teams. Football has always been something of an afterthought. But things began to change in and the following season, when they earned back-to-back promotions to return to the second division for the first time in 49 years. An ownership takeover was completed in , which founded a reserve team and improved training facilities. The side stabilised in the second tier and soon pushed towards promotion — missing out in the play-offs in and the following season. At the third time of asking, they made it in by finishing second in the Segunda Division. It was after their first push for promotion in that a key figure arrived who would revolutionise the club — slowly but surely, step by painful step turning them into a side capable of not just competing in the top flight, but potentially even winning it. In he co-founded his own agency and became one of the most influential agents in global football. His clients included his brother — of course — as well as superstars like Andres Iniesta and Luis Suarez. In , when a French company bought out Girona, Pere was brought in as an influential adviser and deal-maker. Under his leadership and canny negotiating skills, Girona were emboldened in the transfer market and developed into a more professional club from top to bottom. And two years later, just after Girona were promoted to the top flight, Pere Guardiola bought a The total cost of the It was a significant moment in the growing trend of mega-money ownership groups taking charge of multiple clubs. According to a SportBusiness and CIES Sports Intelligence report, as of November , there are now entities worldwide which own two or more clubs, with a staggering clubs part of multi-club operations. One key problem is that multiple clubs with the same owners could face off in the Champions League, for example. The next year, they were even paired in the same group in the Europa League. Nevertheless, Girona have clearly benefited from close ties to Man City and the wider City network. He could have chosen many managers at that time. The pair — and Sorriano — turned Barcelona into one of the greatest teams in club football history — and they have done the same at Man City. It was personal. After Pere Guardiola took a role at the club in , he immediately began to secure loan deals for fringe City players or talented youngsters in need of match minutes to develop into world-class stars — something that has remained a major source of Girona players down the years. For Manchester City, the loan connection with Girona provides a place to develop young players or signings that are not quite at the first-team level with the Premier League club. Many teams, Chelsea most notably, have been accused of stockpiling vast numbers of players and sending them out on multiple loans to increase their transfer value before selling them for a profit — effectively treating them as a commodity. It is something that FIFA and UEFA have cracked down on in recent months, limiting squad sizes as well as the number of players that can be loaned out by a club. But over the years, signing multiple players on loan from Man City has provided a valuable mechanism for Girona to strengthen their squad without spending money on transfer fees. That includes Catalan native Pablo Maffeo, who was loaned there from City for three seasons in a row — and was later named by Lionel Messi as the toughest man-marker he had played against. He has since played times for Villa. The network of CFG clubs — and the system of loaning Man City players to other clubs to develop them — has raised plenty of eyebrows. Or do they boast unfair advantages through their links to CFG? The answer, according to those at Girona, is a definite no. They have their own independent scouting and football departments, and while they have connections with City Football Group leaders like CEO Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain, they are not dictated to by them. Instead, Girona believe they are simply being smart in nabbing some of the best young players from Manchester City on loan — and they have also made an impressive habit of signing City rejects on permanent deals. The perfect example of that is Aleix Garcia, an extremely talented Villareal youngster who was signed by City in But after two years at City saw him make just nine appearances, he was loaned to Girona in and again the following season. Another is Yangel Herrera, who was signed in the off-season by Girona after he spent last season on loan there from Manchester City. They beat reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid in October and finished a lofty 10th, defying all expectations of a relegation battle. There were real improvements, however, like the academy being redeveloped, and the pitch at Montilivi re-laid — though the stadium itself remains tiny! All that remained was the right coach to take them back into La Liga — and they found him in In many ways, he was the perfect coach for Girona and for CFG, given they want all clubs in their network to play an attacking and attractive brand of football. And while he was born in Madrid — and was a Rayo Vallecano legend as a player — he began Catalan lessons straight away. It took just one season for Michel to lead the team back to the top flight. And last year, they finished 10th in the first division — having scored 58 goals fifth most in the league but conceded 55 also fifth. Simply put, you were guaranteed goals when watching a Girona game. Finishing 10th was impressive for a newly-promoted team. But this year, they took things to a whole new level despite losing a host of their star players in the off-season. Girona had been gutted. But then Pere Guardiola masterminded an incredible transfer window to reshape and strengthen the team yet again. They turned a loan deal for year-old goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga from England second-tier team Fulham into a permanent deal for free. Yet they had built a squad of veterans and youngsters, loanees and rejects. The massive gap between the Spanish giants and Girona in spending is also reflected in their salary caps for wages, coaches and reserve and youth teams. When it comes to spending, Girona might have backing from the City Football Group, but they are operating on a fraction of the budgets of their rivals — and well and truly punching above their weight. The season began with a comeback draw with Real Sociedad, who were also competing in the Champions League after finishing fourth in the league last year. There were plenty of promising signs, including Dovbyk scoring on his league debut. The minnows would win their next six games on the trot, roaring into first place on the ladder for the first time in their year history. The wingers and fullbacks are constantly on the move and regularly confuse defences by changing which channels they use down the flanks — if a winger cuts inside, the fullback overlaps; if the winger hits the sideline, the fullbacks run through the middle. Even when they lost to Real Madrid in September — still their only loss of the season after 19 games — they went toe-to-toe with the giants, never backing down despite being outclassed. The defeat was a setback, but Girona were already scaling vertiginous heights on the ladder. And they rebounded by winning the next five games in a row, including two more massive scorelines — a and a Then, in early December, came the result that announced Girona to the world — beating Barcelona for the first time ever. Girona were back on top of the table, two points clear of Real Madrid and seven ahead of Barcelona. Excellent, just congratulate them! They can fight for the title. It was high praise. Any football fan watching this will have ended up feeling more sympathy for Girona. A thrilling, rollercoaster of attack — even if it means conceding plenty of goals at the other end. That was summed up perfectly in their second historic victory this season, beating Atletico Madrid in stoppage time last week. It was, just like against Barcelona, the first time Girona had ever beaten Atletico. That victory was their 15th from 19 games, with just three draws and one loss to Real Madrid. The minnows sit level on points with Los Blancos both 48 on top the ladder, second only on goal difference — but remarkably, having scored six more goals than the Madrid giants this season. Girona were never meant to be in the hunt for the title. They themselves set the target at the start of the season of reaching European football. The top four teams qualify for the Champions League, fifth the Europa League, and sixth the Europa Conference League qualifying stages. Even finishing sixth, for Girona, would be a remarkable success. But now, the fans at the tiny Montelivi stadium are dreaming of higher honours. Zac Rayson from Fox Sports.

Girona readying move to sign defender that could leave Barcelona before transfer window closes

Girona buying blow

The duo picked up their respective injuries during Girona 's LaLiga draw at Celta Vigo on Sunday, with Spanish midfielder Romeu now facing approximately eight weeks on the sidelines while Dutch defender Blind is out for four weeks. Having never qualified for Europe's elite club competition in their year history, Girona secured a place in the Champions League by finishing third in LaLiga last season, just four years after being promoted to the Spanish top flight. We need to take it one game at a time,' Michel told reporters ahead of Wednesday's game at the Estadi Montilivi. But tomorrow, we need the best possible eleven to win. We have to look at it like that. Romeu didn't play against Rayo Vallecano and got injured. The most important thing is that the head is fine. My concern is to go game by game and the team that plays will be the best possible. After going toe-to-toe with Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona for much of the last campaign, Girona are now being tested by the best sides in Europe and Michel acknowledged that it is a challenge to juggle domestic and continental duties. Girona have had an underwhelming start to the LaLiga season, winning two and drawing three of their eight matches to sit 12th with nine points. We want to win because making history in the Champions League is a dream for us. And for our fans, those who will be on the pitch and those who will be away,' Michel said. The maturity of this squad is great. We have players with a lot of experience who know how to handle this situation. From the 'boom' of playing in the Champions League you need to return to the reality of the league, which is what is going to give us the possibility to continue growing as a club. Retrouvez nos conseils sur joueurs-info-service. Most Read. Champions League debutants Girona taking it one game at a time after double injury blow Reuters. Girona have been hit by injury blows to Oriol Romeu 33 and Daley Blind 34 ahead of their Champions League home clash against Dutch side Feyenoord, but manager Michel 48 insisted on Tuesday that his side will go all out to win on a special night for the club. Girona's recent record Flashscore. Related Articles. Wirtz shines as Bayer Leverkusen kick-start campaign with Feyenoord thrashing. Show more. Wood the hero as Nottingham Forest claim slender win over Crystal Palace. Las Palmas come back to beat man Valencia in battle of LaLiga strugglers. Mota stars as Monza stun Verona to notch first Serie A win in style. Girona to assess reserve players amid injury crisis ahead of Slovan Bratislava clash. Juventus determined to excel in Europe and Italy, says coach Thiago Motta. No Guler joy for Juventus fans as hacked account leads to confusion. Simmering Bellingham set for Dortmund reunion in Champions League. Milan's Leao and Hernandez back in lineup as team named to face Brugge. Do you want to withdraw your consent to display betting ads?

Girona buying blow