An expert’s guide to losing your best player by Espanyol

It would have been somewhat traumatic under any circumstances, if it wasn’t to your most bitter rivals. If your manager had not weeks earlier told the press that ‘I’m not saying I’d cut off one of my hands to guarantee it, but nearly’. Yet that’s exactly what happened – ‘There were no calls, no communication’ when Barcelona activated his €25m release clause said Espanyol Sporting Director Fran Garagarza – but after nine matchdays, it has barely been mentioned.

It is no exaggeration to say that Joan Garcia was the difference between survival in La Liga and what would have been a backbreaking relegation in financial terms, one with far more traumatic consequences than his exit. Garcia’s saves, 140 of them, ranged across a museum-sized tapestry depicting a masterclass of the goalkeeping craft, but it was the improbable, unassailable nature of his performances that lent him all the credit of a conquering general to the army of Espanyol fans behind his goal.

Hence when he left, it would be understandable if a degree of disappointment tinged the survival he had inspired. Los Pericos, not to mention concern for the future. Losing your best player unites a team and its fanbase in uncertainty: both are casting around for fresh face to imbue their hopes in.

This year without Garcia, Espanyol have 15 points from their opening nine games, sitting them 6th, a total that required 16 games last time round. What it suggests is that Espanyol have tiptoed through the fraught forest of rebuilding after a significant sale.

After a spell at Wolves, Garagarza returned to Spanish football with Espanyol in 2022, and despite relegation in 2023, has completed a thorough and at times controversial turnover of the squad, which involved losing a number of star names. In that period, Los Pericos have brought in €63m in sales, and this summer again, the sole income from Garcia’s move to Barcelona provided for 11 signings, and a profit of €10.8m. Amongst those signings were Kike Garcia, top goalscorer for survival rivals Alaves (15 last season), Roberto Fernandez and Urko Gonzalez, allowing manager Manolo Gonzalez to retain his two best loanees from last year. Of those signings, seven are aged 24 or younger.

Both Fernandez and Urko arrived in January, and played leading roles in their turnaround in the second half of last season. Perhaps the route through the forest of pitfalls, most gruesomely exemplified in the same city by Barcelona’s response to losing Neymar Junior, is easier with a goalkeeper, a position that affects a way of playing less. So often teams overpay, overreach or overcompensate – the desire for a strong reaction is probably the most natural response.

Garagarza focused his efforts on improvement across the squad. Holding onto captain Javi Puado, out of contract and with heavy interest, could be considered as big a coup as any headline signing. Early performances from Tyrhys Dolan, a pacy winger with a trick that was absent last year, and young defender Clemens Riedel promise plenty.

It is easy to see why Garagarza relates to Gonzalez. “When I signed, I had to take a test. It took me four hours. One question was about my availability, and I said 24/7… And I meant it,” the former said to La Vanguardia. While coaching in Spain’s lower divisions, Gonzalez used to start work at 06:00am as a bus driver so he could coach in the afternoons. Gravelly tones, direct with a blunt edge, and a willingness to stick up for his players and the club, not since Mauricio Pochettino have Espanyol enjoyed such a strong connection between fans and coach. It’s a blend of gruffness and humility you also see present Jose Luis Mendilibar, Garagarza’s long-time partner at Eibar.

Gonzalez is a furnace, the warmth to keep his players close and earn the trust of his players, the intense heat ensuring they don’t just sweat for the cause, but improve. “He’s adapted quickly because he’s a good footballer, he understands the game well and does his part. It’s all about whether you want to live or die, there’s no other option,” Gonzalez said of Dolan last week. After consistent success in the lower tiers, Gonzalez was in the fourth division with Espanyol B in March of 2024 when Garagarza asked him to take over the senior side. An improbable play-off promotion saw him stifle Real Oviedo in the final, a personal jump of three divisions in five months.

Així va ser la reacció al gol de Kike 👀 pic.twitter.com/nLHbtVqeUQ

— RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol) October 18, 2025

Even so there is a risk that his modest roots and relatable character obscure an ability to go head-to-head with La Liga’s best tacticians. El Confidencial note that Gonzalez is a touch weary of the bus driver reference; he has been coaching since the age of 21, and has navigated tricky away trips far longer than Barcelona’s grid street system.

Just twice this season Espanyol have been bested; top of the table Real Madrid broke the deadlock with a long-range missile from Eder Militao, while fifth-place Real Betis scored two of their three shots on target. The headline victory came over Atletico Madrid on day one at the RCDE Stadium, home to a record number of season ticket-holders this year. Keeping their head above a rising Atletico tide for the first hour, Gonzalez’s grin barely fit his face when he watched as two substitutes scored in a 2-1 win, having swung the game out of Atletico’s control.

Beyond the big guns, no side has carried out their game plan against Espanyol for any length of time, no team has been comfortable. Now with greater depth of quality, and more variety of talents at his disposal, Gonzalez is demonstrating that beneath the brazen facade, there are more intricacies and subterfuge to be explored. Between the headlines, you may read of their 2-0 victory over Real Oviedo on Friday night, meeting again for the first time since that play-off final 16 months ago. Without last year’s offensive beacon Puado, Espanyol had 40% of possession and dominated the game. “His absence can be resolved in several ways,” he explained beforehand to MD. “We never attack the same way. It depends on the type of match.”

👏 ¡ORGULLOSO DE SER PERICO! 🤍💙 pic.twitter.com/MttTZfEdg7

— RCD Espanyol de Barcelona (@RCDEspanyol) October 17, 2025

Save for the opening minutes of the second half, Oviedo’s attacking efforts looked desperate and contrived – the polar opposite of their opponents. Espanyol moved up and down the pitch with a confidence and composure in a tricky atmosphere that reminded of much wealthier teams. The sturdiness and the conviction of last season remain, but for any victory to feel inevitable, is a rich statement for Los Pericos considering the white-knuckle ride they went on last year.

Earlier this month, the face of new ownership group Velocity Sports Ltd. Alan Pace gave his first press conference since the takeover occurred this summer, a change long hankered for at the RCDE Stadium. The growing optimism, the swelling pride and increasing noise in Cornella come from Garagarza and Gonzalez though. Losing Garcia was an expected maiming for to their side, losing him to Barcelona was a nightmare. Yet four months on, Espanyol are not only winning, they are as light on their feet has they have been in years.