Ins and Outs….

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

Tags: Santander Team News

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