LaLiga: Top 10 stories from Laliga

Laliga: With the transfer market having officially opened on July 1st, this past week was a busy one in LaLiga. Several Spanish clubs completed signings, while there were other major headlines too, as discussed below.

FC Barcelona win the race to sign Gündoğan

İlkay Gündoğan is coming to LaLiga, with FC Barcelona having won the hotly contested race to sign the German midfielder. Given that Gündoğan just captained Manchester City to a treble, he is one of the most impactful players in the world right now and will play for the Blaugrana for at least the next two seasons.

Francisco is the new coach of Rayo Vallecano

Rayo Vallecano announced this past week that their new head coach will be Francisco, the former boss of UD Almería, SD Huesca and Elche CF. He has managed 112 top-flight games across his stints with those three clubs and brings that experience to the Vallecas dugout, taking over from Andoni Iraola.

Pedrosa will continue his comeback with Sevilla FC

Adrià Pedrosa endured a very tough 2022/23, as he missed most of the season with injury and then suffered relegation with RCD Espanyol as he eased back in to competitive action. Now, the left-back will be able to enjoy a fresh start at a new club, having been signed by Sevilla FC. When fit and in form, Pedrosa is one of the best attacking left-backs in the competition, so this transfer could be a masterstroke.

Getafe CF complete the signing of Choco Lozano

Choco Lozano has joined Getafe CF on a three-year contract, after leaving Cádiz CF as a free agent. The Honduran striker has previously played for Girona FC and Cádiz CF in Spain’s top flight and arrives at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez to help cover for Enes Ünal, who’ll miss the start of 2023/24 with a long-term injury.

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Guardiola and Martí are staying at Cádiz CF

Two of the key players in leading Cádiz CF to survival last season were the January signings Sergi Guardiola and Roger Martí. So impressive were the two forwards that Los Amarillos have signed them to permanent contracts, triggering a purchase option in Guardiola’s loan deal and offering Roger Martí a new three-year extension.

RC Celta and Carles Pérez are sticking together

Another loan deal that was converted into a permanent transfer this week was that of Carles Pérez. After the Spaniard played in Vigo on loan from Roma last season, RC Celta have agreed a deal for him to remain in Galicia and work with new coach Rafa Benítez.

Luka Modrić is staying at Real Madrid and will be vice-captain

In addition to transfers, there were also some contract renewals over the past seven days. The most high-profile of all the renewals was, without doubt, that of former Ballon d’Or winner Luka Modrić, who has agreed a one-year extension to stay at Real Madrid, where he will be vice-captain of the club, only behind Nacho.

Atlético de Madrid will change the club badge

Following a referendum for members, with 77,690 participating, Atlético de Madrid announced that they will change the club badge in the summer of 2024, returning to a previous design that was loved by the fans. “In response to this majority vote of our members, as of July 1st, 2024, the previous badge will once again be the official one of our club,” the institution announced. 

Sadiq could be ready for the start of the season

There was good news at Real Sociedad this week, as striker Umar Sadiq was able to work out on the pitch as he continues his recovery from an ACL injury that he suffered last September, in what was just his second appearance for La Real. The Nigerian, who was signed from UD Almería in the summer 2022 transfer market, is confident about his comeback and believes he is “better prepared than ever before” to contribute for the Basque side, perhaps even from the opening weekend of the new campaign.

The 2023/24 calendar for the second division is drawn

The 22 teams that make up the second tier of Spanish football found out their schedules this past week, and there are several big fixtures to look forward to. That includes the derbies of the second division, such as Real Oviedo vs Real Sporting in Matchday 5, on the weekend of September 10th, or Real Zaragoza vs SD Huesca in Matchday 16, on the weekend of November 19th.