Ins and Outs….
By: James |
2 Comments
Hopes of Stephen ‘Sunny’ Sunday playing at El Sardinero next season are now undersrtood to have completely fallen through after a speedy deal had been agreed between Santander and Valencia as a sign of gratitude from los Ché. This was for the purchase of Mario Regueiro, who, after spending five seasons at Racing Santander, was transferred to Valencia in the summer of 2005 for €1.2 million.
However, Santander have wasted no more time, securing forward Jonathan Pereira on loan from Villarreal and Portuguese defenders Ze Antonio on a free transfer from Borussia Monchengladbach and Vitorino Antunes from Roma. These players are all in an effort to bolster their squad for this campaign with the daunting challenge of Europe upon their shoulders.
No doubt Muniz is looking to improve his defence from the transfers made so far with some experience and, with Garay,on loan from Real Madrid for the upcoming season it looks as though Racing will have good foundations.
The acquisition of 21 year old Jonathan Pereira on a 1 year loan will add to Racing’s attacking forces, especially with the new signing fresh from a loan spell with Segunda Division’s Racing Ferrol, where he netted 11 goals in 33 games. There is the question of whether he will be able to make the transition up a division, however he is not a complete stranger to La Liga’s high standards. He is already off the mark in Spain’s top tier of football. His debut in La Liga was against Levante UD in 2006 where he came off the bench and scored after only two minutes on the pitch. Racing will hope he can produce this term also.
^ JONATHAN PEREIRA ^
Muniz has begun to get rid of, as he promised he would, players that will not be in his plans for this season. Goalkeeper Juan Calatyud has left for Hercules, whilst defender Ayoze has departed for Villareal. Loan periods ending have also seen many players return to their clubs. Sergio Daniel Orteman, Pablo Alvarez, Sergio Sanchez and Jordi Lopez have gone back to Boca Juniors, Deportivo, Espanyol and Mallorca respectively.
Muniz has been given a 2 year contract to prove his worth at El Sardinero. This shows a lot of trust from Racing chairman Fransisco Pernia, for it is typical of him only to give 1 year contracts to new managers. It is up tot the Racing faithful to put the same trust in the new coach and get behind him as quickly as possible if they are to mount a serious challenge for the Uefa Cup this season, as is the plan of Muniz.
Category: Santander Team News
Happy as Garay….
By: James | 2 Comments
Ezequiel Garay claims he is more than happy to return to Racing on loan after striking a deal with La Liga champions Real Madrid.
This will come as music to the ears of Racing supporters who know only too well that they will need all the help they can get, as they enter the ranks of Europe’s elite this upcoming season.
The Argentine defender also attracted the interests of Barcelona, but is ecstatic after agreeing terms Bernd Schuster’s Real in a deal worth 10 million euros, making Racing a tidy profit as they signed him back in 2005 for just 2 million euros. Manchester United, Liverpool, Lyon and Tottenham had also been linked to him.
“I am the happiest man in the world,” said Garay.
“Signing for such a big club is a dream come true for every hard-working player.
“I will be delighted to stay at Racing for one more year and I will proudly defend their shirt in Europe.
“The final stretch in our season was sensational, but I missed it due to an injury.
“We qualified for the Uefa Cup and I signed for Real Madrid. It makes it even better if Racing have benefited from my signing.
“I hope to be able to pay the club back for the faith it has in me. This is the most important step I have taken in my career.”
It is thought that Scuster felt it best that the 21-year-old develop his talents for another season before joining up with Real Madrid for the 2009-10 campaign. However there are also reports that Real do not need him quite yet due to their wealth of central defenders currently in the squad, including such European heavyweights as Pepe, Metzelder, Cannavaro, Heinze and also Ramos when called upon. More will become clear on Schuster’s reasons over the summer, no doubt.
Category: Santander Team NewsSmolarek Dilemma….
By: James | 2 Comments
Ebi Smolarek has of late been strongly connected with French Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse, but an apparent deal may fall through should a crisis not be resolved regarding the agent of the Polish forward.
Smolarek did not have the impact on La Liga that he had hoped for and it seems probable now that he will go elsewhere to play his football.
This will be made more difficult than it would seem, for Smolarek has recently parted company with his agent.
It is thought that Toulouse have settled for a fee somewhere in the region of €4.5m with Santander, who paid €4.8m for last summer, however personal terms are still in progress and yet to be confirmed by Smolarek himself and the situation with his agent has only complicated matters further.
It seems unlikely that the deal will be completed until the issues to do with Smolarek’s agent are cleared up. It is now a question of how patient Toulouse will be and how quickly Smolarek can find a new representative.
A Surprise Appointment….
By: James | 1 Comment
Marcelino Garcia, only a week after leaving Santander with intentions of joining a higher-profile team in somewhat of a shock decision agreed terms with Real Zaragoza. On May 29 he signed with the recently relegated Segunda Division outfit, with the objective of breathing new life into the club with the ultimate aim of promoting them back to La Liga.
Marcelino, 42 years of age, is fast becoming regarded as one of the best coaches in Spain and has committed two years to Zaragoza, despite persistently declaring his intentions of leading a bigger club to the Spanish Championship.
He received many offers from clubs in Spain and abroad, but agreed to come to Zaragoza with the “immediate objective” to conquer the Segunda Division, which would provide a catalyst to a “very ambitious” future, the club has stated on its official website.
Zaragoza finished in 18th position in La Liga last season, however a fierce attitude to the situation they are in and clear goals, confirmed by a surprising but more than welcome boss at the helm has given a new direction and fresh incentive to achieve this coming season.
Category: Santander Team NewsFinal Standings….
By: James | 4 Comments
Welcome to the Racing Santander section of The Offside.
My name is James and I am of course happy to expand the coverage of La Liga for this website.
What a season it’s been for the side. The final league standings see Marcelino García’s men sitting comfortably in 6th position, securing themselves European football for next season; dizzying heights, especially considering they finished only 10th in La Liga the previous season. Recent campaigns have seen the northern Spanish outfit battling relegation regularly, only able to boast a modest 14th as their best achievement of recent times and even this would be going back about a decade as far as the 1997-98 campaign to be precise.
Despite the dream of a Champions League spot for the upcoming season fading away rapidly, as vital points were dropped towards the end of term, it must not be forgotten where the team has come from in such a short space of time. Indeed, the Champions League qualification hopes were perhaps slightly premature to say the least but the Cantabrians can hold their heads up high after fending off an in-form Mallorca. They held a far superior goal difference that may have greatly changed the outcome of the season, had Racing not held their nerve to beat a relegation-threatened Osasuna in the final game of the season; fighting both for survival and for pride.
A nail-biter at Estadio El Sardinero saw both teams needing a win and even more so when reports from the Son Moix arrived of a goal in Mallorca’s favour against Zaragoza; meaning only a win would do if the scores remained the same and Racing were to make safe their UEFA cup spot. It was not until the 86th minute that a roar went up around Estadio El Sardinero as substitute, youngster Iván Bolado converted from a Tchité cross on the near post of Osasuna keeper Ricardo to put to bed a very nervy affair and confirm what promises to be a very exciting upcoming season for Racing. An emotional rollercoaster came to an end, reflected in the tears of Racing coaches Marcelino and Ziganda.
After a wonderful season that even saw Santander reach the semi-finals of the Copa Del Rey, however, Marcelino has quit, allegedly with higher ambitions in mind that he had discussed already with club president Franciso Pernia. Valencia seemed a likely option after a disappointing run in La Liga this season, despite the man himself claiming he would not sign any sort of agreement with any club and was not expecting to do so before the beginning of the new season. Marcelino had already worked his magic at Recreativo Huelva in gaining them promotion in 2006 and guiding them to 8th place the following season in La Liga.
Category: Santander Team News
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