Can Arrasate weather the storm that could define his Mallorca tenure?

Written by Paul McGarraghy

Real Mallorca’s 2025/26 season has begun in worrying fashion. Defeats to Barcelona and Real Madrid on Matchdays 1 and 3, combined with a 1-1 draw at home to Celta Vigo, leave the side with just a single point from their opening three fixtures. More troubling than the results themselves, however, have been the performances, which have lacked conviction.

Last season’s 10th-place finish was perhaps deceptive. A strong start saw Jagoba Arrasate’s side in a European spot by Matchday 9, but results and performances declined sharply as the campaign wore on. By the end, mid-table felt like a disappointment given the early promise. Player body language often hinted at frustration, and the sense of unity that had carried Mallorca in recent years appeared to wane. That loss of harmony seems to have carried into this season.

Over the summer, there were sagas that unsettled the club further. Right-back Pablo Maffeo pushed for a move away from Son Moix but, despite multiple offers, no deal materialised that satisfied both player and board. As a result, when the window closed on the first of September, Maffeo remained a Mallorca player, a situation publicly acknowledged by sporting director Pablo Ortells as he spoke to reporters outside the club’s facilities late that evening.

The more combustible issue, however, involved Dani Rodriguez. The 38-year-old captain, scorer of Mallorca’s goal in the 2024 Copa del Rey Final, expressed frustration at being left out by Arrasate. Over the weekend he posted a statement on social media, claiming he could not accept a “lack of respect for commitment and dedication”. He went further, complaining that “a player who has just arrived, with a single training session, has the opportunity to play ahead of teammates who have been defending this shirt with sweat and dedication for years.”

The reference was to 19-year-old Jan Virgili, newly signed from Barcelona, who came off the bench for three minutes at the Bernabeu. For supporters, the problem was not Virgili’s cameo but the manner in which Rodriguez, a supposed leader, singled out a teenager half his age.

When asked about the situation on deadline day, Ortells was blunt: “We do not like statements that question a coach’s decisions. Mallorca is above all of us.” His words were generally welcomed by fans online, but another remark caused concern. He insisted the squad was “complete”, a claim many supporters found questionable given the summer departure of Cyle Larin to Feyenoord, Maffeo’s unsettled situation, the lack of creativity in midfield, ongoing defensive frailties and the heavy reliance on Vedat Muriqi for goals.

Pablo Ortells sobre el comunicado de Dani Rodríguez 👇🔴

“No nos gustan este tipo de comunicados en los que se cuestionan las decisiones de un entrenador”

“El @RCD_Mallorca está por encima de todos nosotros” pic.twitter.com/A3sRfzaXQV

— Juanmi Sánchez (@JUANMISB97) September 1, 2025

The board then acted decisively, perhaps heavy-handedly, by removing Rodriguez from the captaincy group and suspending him without pay. The measure, confirmed by the club on Wednesday, was interpreted as a clear message to the rest of the dressing room and a public show of support for Arrasate.

It is, of course, still early in the season and Mallorca’s opening fixtures have been among the toughest, but the warning signs are already apparent. Arrasate faces not only the problem of limited squad depth but also the more delicate challenge of rebuilding unity and trust within the camp. The upcoming schedule offers little margin for error, with Espanyol away, Atletico Madrid at home and a trip to Real Sociedad next on the horizon. Unless cohesion is restored and results improve quickly, this season risks becoming a far cry from the stability of last year.