In: Alejandro Catena (Rayo Vallecano), Jose Arnaiz (Leganes)
Loan Returns: Jesus Areso (Burgos), Javi Martinez (Huesca), Sergio Moreno (Rayo Vallecano)
Out: Ez Abde (Barcelona), Manu Sanchez (Atletico Madrid/Celta Vigo), Aridane Hernandez (Rayo Vallecano), Diego Moreno (loan, Mirandes), Iker Benito (loan, Andorra)
Summary so far: Osasuna have lost two valuable loan additions from last season in Manu Sanchez and Ez Abde – they may well be in need of more loans in order fill the gaps that they leave. Experienced central defender Aridane is off to Rayo Vallecano, and he was starting by the end of last season, but the reason for his exit is the arrival of Alejandro Catena. Signing a long-term deal, they are set for the best years of a solid central defender, and if they can hold onto David Garcia, then they look set for a solid defence again next season.
Meanwhile pacey wide forward Jose Arnaiz has come back to the side he spent six months on loan at several seasons ago. Arriving on a free, this is another smart pick-up from Sporting Director Braulio Vazquez. That pace is something that is sorely lacking in the Osasuna attack, with an otherwise very good forward line often asking for the ball to feet.
Osasuna find themselves somewhat in limbo due to their suspension from the Conference League by UEFA, and Braulio has admitted that they might have made one or two more additions had they been guaranteed their spot in Europe. They are still holding out hope that the Court of Arbitration for Sport will grant them a reprieve, but until that is resolved, they are working without knowledge of the exact numbers.
Key Need: On the whole Arnaiz is a solid signing that shouldn’t be disregarded, but he shouldn’t be regarded as the sole replacement for Abde. The Moroccan wasn’t always a starter, and he wasn’t always on it, but when he was Osasuna played at a higher level. His ability to feint and shimmy his way past defenders gave Los Rojillo a different dimension last season.
Granted these players are generally hard to find and somewhat expensive if you do come across one, if Braulio should dedicate their remaining resources somewhere, then it should be towards finding an Abde replacement – someone who can take on their man and unbalance a defence. Given the good job Jagoba Arrasate did with him, they might be able to use that credit for another loan from a big club.
Beneath the Surface: Braulio has been in charge for over five years now, and so has Arrasate, so it isn’t surprising that their squad is balanced, and their business focuses on replacing lost assets or branching out into different options. We’d like to get cute, but they need another left-back. Even when Juan Cruz, who looks more comfortable as part of a back three now, does play wider, he is not as adept at reaching the byline. Los Rojillo should focus their efforts on finding another Manu Sanchez. Given they are enjoying more of the ball with Moi Gomez and Aimar Oroz, they might even look at a more adventurous left-back.