RZFans.net › The world of Los Blanquillos

Waiting for Manolo Jimenez

By Ruben Garcia | Jun 2, 06:53 pm

It is hard to say whether the absence of concrete movements in the first two weeks since Real Zaragoza’s spectacular campaign finish are more due to the more than proven ineptitude of the administrators, or the fact that the first objective after having confirmed our participation in next year’s Primera División, the renewal of Jimenez, is still pending. The judgment of Zaragoza fans is of course highly biases by the extraordinary results achieved under the Andalusian’s command, however a colder, more objective analysis of the situation leads to the conclusion that these results are the products of very hard work, common sense, and great spirit. It is therefore of general consensus that Manolo needs to be the cornerstone of next’s seasons project. If he has not signed yet, it is not due to economical differences, but rather to the lack of guarantees of a competitive team offered by Agapito. In any case, the contract signing seems imminent, as it has by the way for the last week.

Other than this, little confirmed movement can be reported, other than the already more than suspected move of Lafita to Getafe, team with which he has signed for the next four year. Lafita has shown great courage and commitment during the season, but to my opinion is a dispensable piece in the team, and had economical expectations above what the club is capable of offering in its current situation.

In any case, more movements in both directions are expected. Jimenez’s intention would be to count with the full squad by the 10th of July for the start of the preseason, in order to avoid organization errors of the past. A real challenge given the recent precedents. Reconstructing the team will not be an easy task, provided that important players such as Apoño (despite the fact Pellegrini does not count on him for the future Málaga project) Álvarez and Djumovic were only in Zaragoza on loan, and negotiating both their transfers and especially their wages will not be easy, despite the interest from the club´s side.

On the other hand, Zuculini terminated his contract with Hoffenheim, and counts with Jimenez´s full approval, therefore his possibilities of continuing are fair. Leo Franco, Paredes and Aranda also finish their contract with the club, and could be renewed without a huge effort, which seems likely, as Jimenez considers they can still add to the team. The situation of other players such as Juan Carlos, Micael, Helder Postiga* and Roberto is uncertain due to the fact they belong to an investment fund, those that should not be present in football. The first of the list even admitted not knowing to whom he exactly belonged. As for the last two, in my opinion they are, together with Apoño, amongst the three best players who have worn Zaragoza’s shirt this season (and also the most important ones in terms of achieving the final result) but again are too attractive to other teams in better economical situations for the club to afford to keep them. I would personally be happy (as well as surprised) if one of the three would stay with us for the next season.

In any case, we will entrust Jimenez with the complicated task of not suffering so much next season. We will have to see how things evolve, though I believe the level of next year’s squad will very likely be lower than the present one.

Posted In News