Features
TUE 24.02.2015
At the end of every season, three teams secure their tickets to the Liga BBVA, but there are also players who, looking for a change of scenery, make the step up to the Spanish topflight on their own.
32 footballers in total have taken this personal leap forward in their careers this campaign. UD Almería, with seven signings from the Liga Adelante, are the team that have paid the most attention to this division. On the other hand, FC Barcelona B are the biggest exporters of talent from the Spanish second tier, with five players.
Looking at it in terms of the different positions, the biggest movers to the Liga BBVA are midfielders. Many of these players triumph in their new environment. One such man is Tomer Hemed, the Almería striker, who has already notched up seven goals in the Liga BBVA and is the top scorer from this select group of footballers.
The Israeli had already experienced life in the division, having made his debut with RCD Mallorca three seasons ago. Also causing a stir at the Andalusian club are Edgar Méndez, who signed from CD Tenerife, and Ximo Navarro, who joined from Mallorca like Hemed, with both men clocking up over 1,500 minutes of playing time between them.
The only outfielder to have played every minute of this Liga BBVA campaign so far also played in the Liga Adelante last season. Granada CF’s Jean-Sylvain Babin joined the Andalusian side from AD Alcorcón during the summer and since then has become an omnipresent figure in the team’s back line. Víctor Rodríguez is another of these recent Liga BBVA arrivals, taking up a position on the wing for Elche CF having come from Real Zaragoza. He has featured in 22 games and accumulated over 1,700 minutes of playing time, racking up 3 important goals for the Alicante team.
The reserve teams of the Liga BBVA's big sides have added depth to a number of the division's other clubs. Denis Suárez, who played for FC Barcelona’s reserves last season, has become one of Unai Emery’s most used players at Sevilla FC, with more than 1,000 minutes played and two goals scored. Meanwhile, Lucas Vázquez has become a vital component for RCD Espanyol. Making his way to Catalonia from Real Madrid Castilla, he has amassed over 1,500 minutes of Liga BBVA action and already has two goals to his name.
The newly promoted teams have also strengthened with opposition players from last season. One of RC Deportivo’s main men up front is former Real Madrid Castilla man José Rodríguez, who has chalked up more than 1,000 minutes of playing time. Córdoba CF have signed Borja García, who used to play for the Real Madrid CF reserves, and who has already surpassed 1,100 minutes of playing time.
SD Eibar have added five Liga Adelante players to their squad, to go with the large number of footballers already making their debuts in the Liga BBVA for them this season. One name that stands out above the rest in this case is the goalkeeper's, Xabi Irureta, the only player to have played every minute for the Basques until now.
© LALIGA - 2015