Espanyol: On the Up!

After finally gaining promotion from Division 5, Espanyol will be looking to push up the leagues and make up for lost time. Last time Earle was in Division 4 he took over an aging, deflated Espanyol squad destined for the drop. Despite a valiant effort from the newly formed squad they were relegated on the final day of the campaign to begin a 4 season stay in the bottom division. However, after losing in the playoff final the previous year, Espanyol clinched their promotion spot in season 6 to return to where it all started, but with a majorly improved squad. This season promises to be one of the most exciting and successful in the clubs history for a number of reasons ranging from the talent in the first team to the number of tournaments to the development of players.

3 seasons of waiting will finally

pay off: Benjamin Hubner.

Espanyol have never looked so strong at the start of a season as they do now. Defensive solidity has always been an issue for Earle but it looks as though the team will be able to hold their own after some good player development. With the likes of Loic Perrin and Andujar Coke already developed, one problem was finding the correct players to fill the back line. While several players were brought in to fix these issues, it has been members already in the squad who have stepped forward to take the places. Benjamin Hubner has bided his time in the team and moved from strength to strength in his 3 seasons since joining. Following the sale of Nicolas Pareja, Hubner was able to pick up a first team spot and will likely be used as a starter this season. Left back was another position to fill and Fernando Marcal has emerged as the dominant option in that area. After joining from Basel he was expected to play as back up to Georgi Schennikov but was able to become the favourite after some good performances. With new signings Nathan Ake and Cuco Martina as well as develoing squad members Jose Luis Palomino and Ander Capa, the teams defensive depth is also looking impressive. This isn't the only defensive improvement to the club either. Danijel Subasic is the best keeper the club have had since Earle arrived and Etrit Berisha is also one of the most impressive. These two key members could prove vital to the team in the league and cups.
While improving their defence, Espanyol have also managed to bolster their attacking options adding Brazilian duo Alex Teixeira and Goncalves Jonas to their ranks. Teixeira has already shown some promise at the club, helping them to victory in the playoffs, while Jonas is due to arrive just as the season starts. The additions of these two stars seemed to put question marks over the future of Iago Aspas who was heavily linked with a move to Hamburg. Despite this, Aspas remained at the club and is expected to take up a wider role than last year. The 30-year-old has also been named club captain once again.
Jens Toornstra has also arrived at the club after 6 seasons at Feyenoord. The 29-year-old offers added depth in the midfield after the sales of Roberto Pereyra and Joshua Guilavogui. Edin Visca has re-joined after arriving back in Earles debut season. In his two seasons with Espanyol, Visca played 48 games scoring 7 and assisting 13. Earle has said he is delighted to have brought him back and is excited to work with the Bosnian again.

The man in demand:

Guido Burgstaller

Other key members of the squad were also kept and are expected to sign contract extensions in the next few days. Luis Pizzi, Eduardo Salvio and Carlos Bacca have all said they have no intention of leaving and want to help the club succeed. Guido Burgstaller has also said he wants to stay and fight for a spot after he impressed Earle with a hat trick in the first leg of the playoffs. The Austrian has had interest from Hellas Verona and Marseille along with three other clubs although no official contact has been made as of yet.
With the notably stronger squad and improved depth, the chairman has told Earle that promotion is the target yet again. Earle has said he has the same target and that the players are motivated and determined to get back to back promotions. The club also aren't fully done in the transfer market. Several more players are set to arrive in the next few days after previously agreed deals. It is also believed that Espanyol are still on the hunt for on more midfielder.
The improved squad has also lead to the club opting to participate in five club competitions this season. These will include Division 4, Top 100 Cup, Top 100 Shield, World Club Cup and Youth Cup.

With the option to join the youth cup, a vigorous recruiting process began. With just a handful of youth stars, the recruitment team had to bring in almost an entire squad. Earle said he wanted to keep Andriy Lunin and Ezequiel Barco in the team after the duo impressed on their loan spells last season. Earle has been able to bring in three key defenders for the tournament with right back Silvan Hefti and centre back Ertugrul Ersoy both joining from Liverpool. Bogdan Mykhaylychenko also arrived to fill in at left back. The 20-year-old free agent was snapped up on a 3 year deal and Earle has said he has high expectations. Both Stefan Posch and Boubacar Kamara will hope to fill the final defensive spot although it looks more likely that the club will attempt to bring in someone on loan for the tournament. Jerry St. Juste is rumoured to be their number one target and initial reports claim that Southampton are willing to let him join Espanyol on loan if he is still at the club come the start of the tournament.
Espanyol are also one of nine clubs who are attempting to sign centre back Lucas Martinez Quarta from Los Andres. The 21-year-old was put up for sale for bids of around £5.5 million and is now set to pick between teams such as Manchester United, Chelsea, Liverpool, and many more. The Argentine was previously at Espanyol but left for Internazionale two seasons ago.

Taking the number 11 shirt: Andreas Pereira.

In midfield Tanguy Ndombele is waiting to complete his move from Monaco. The 21-year-old showed just how much Espanyol were looking to improve their youngster as they let Joshua Guilavogui go to bring in the Monaco star. The deal also saw Josip Brekalo join the Spaniards. Brekalo is likely to play an important role on the wing along with long term Espanyol youth Ezequiel Barco. The midfielder likely to play along side Ndombele is reported to be Donny Van de Beek who has agreed a season long loan in Spain.
Earles crown jewel of the youth squad is new arrival Andreas Pereira who will act as the central attacking midfielder in the squad. The Brazilian wasn't initially expected to be eligible for the tournament but slipped just inside the brackets by a few hours. Espanyol also picked up Isaac Mbenza from Liverpool who will act as the primary youth striker. One further big youth signing is the exciting Hassane Bande who will join from Hertha Berlin at the end of the month.

So far in their pre-season games Espanyol have faced Lokomotiv Moskva and Wolfsburg. They beat Lokomotiv 1-0 with a goal from Pizzi and earned a respectable draw against the Division 1 Germans. They will now face FC Porto, Sampdoria and Stuttgart before kicking off the season away at Torino. Other big games in the first half of the season include Hellas Verona on the 8th, Standard Liege on the 11th, Anderlecht on the 22nd and Monaco on the 25th all in February.
Whether Espanyol can go on and earn a second successive promotion remains to be seen but currently they look in good shape to challenge for a high finish this season.