Here's a news round up from the week:
FINANCIAL SITUATION
This has come as a shock for many as it demonstrated that the financial situation at the club is in much worse conditions compared to what has been communicated by management. It certainly would explain why the club is in a desperate need to sell and why there are so many players that the club is willing to let go. Many were also quick to point out that Valencia's recent transfer activity which involved accepting transfer fees that were only a fraction of what the players are worth, only made the problem worse. With the club going public with their blacklist of players and their financial situation, other teams will no doubt look to take advantage, as they have already.
In response to rumors that Peter Lim was taking money out of the club, Valencia went on social media to state that the opposite was true; and that Peter Lim had actually injected more money into the club for the upcoming season.
Valencia lost two opportunities to get some money through conditional clauses in the contracts of both Fran Villalba and Alex Blanco. With both Almeria and Real Zargoza failing to secure promotion to first division, around 1-1.5 million euros for each in bonuses were denied to the club. On the flip side, Rodrigo de Paul's departure from Udinese seems imminent and Valencia has a 15% stake in the transfer amount.
TRANSFER MARKET
All rumors seem to indicate that Rodrigo is the next player on his way out of Valencia. This makes sense due to his high salary and the potential to get a decent amount of money in his transfer. Atletico Madrid is the most talked about destination.
Apparently, Gaya has also received plenty of attention with Manchester City, Barcelona, Real Madrid and PSG all indicating interest. Reports are that the club has rejected all offers. It remains to be seen at what price a deal would be accepted.
As for arrivals, there has been little movement on that front. This is probably due to the lack of liquidity and the need to sell first before buying. Jason Remeseiro has returned from Getafe recently and joined up with the rest of the squad. Alex Blanco will also join after his adventure with Real Zaragoza has finished.
JAVI GRACIA'S TACTICS
There has been little mention of what the new coach has tried so far. What was talked about when he was signed was his inclination towards a 4-4-2 and his preference for inverted wingers. Those who observe training sessions, said that he has been experimenting a lot with that team. There was talk of double pivots and building a lineup with Kang In as the central piece. From those reports, it looks like he was tried in midfield or playing behind the central striker (CAM). There are some fixtures coming up to observe some of the things that are being worked on.
PRESEASON FIXTURES
Due due COVID, the team cannot travel and conduct its preseason internationally. There has been reporting that 1 player, who remains unnamed, in the first team who contracted the virus recently, further statement to the persisting risk. As such fixtures, have been organized locally to help prepare the team for the new season while avoiding unnecessary travel. The two fixtures announced are as follows:
Valencia vs Castellón:
Date: Saturday August 22nd
Time: 07:00 pm CEST
Location: Antonio Puchades stadium at the Ciudad Deportiva
Valencia vs Villareal
Date: Friday August 28th
Time: 08:00 pm CEST
Location: Pinatar Arena, San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia
Valencia vs Levante
Date: Saturday August 29th
Time: 08:00 pm CEST
Location: Pintar Arena, San Pedro del Pinatar, Murcia