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Moreno and Rufete leave Espanyol

BarcelonaThe confirmation of the mathematical permanence of Espanyol has started a domino effect in the white-and-blue offices. Chen Yansheng did not want to wait until the end of the league and has already started to execute the first decisions. In the absence of the official announcement, Vicente Moreno will no longer be the coach and Rufete the sporting director. The club terminated the coach two days in the final for two reasons. First of all, an economic issue: in this way, you are saved from paying the year of the contract you had signed. On the other hand, Chen wanted to be honest with the coach and not have to wait another week on whether or not he would stay at the club. You can now negotiate freely with any coach. Moreno left Mallorca badly, where they publicly believed that they wanted to keep him when they were already tied to his replacement, Luis García, and Chen wanted to be honest with him.

With Moreno, his assistants, Dani Pendín and Dani Pastor, also leave. They will not be the only ones: they will be followed by a Rufete who will end his contract on June 30 and who will not have his contract extended. “What we want is for the club to find the way to excite the people, that we need it and a lot,” said sources from the club. The last two league games will be taken over by an interim coach. Clearly, Espanyol cannot be satisfied with the permanence, the dynamic that has dragged the club for several months – Espanyol has only been able to add 14 of the 51 points played throughout the second round – and the bad news generated in Cornellà-El Prat invited drastic changes in the positions of responsibility of the club.

As ARA has learned, Yansheng is very concerned about the disillusionment between the Espanyol fans and understands that there has been a great deal of wear and tear on the people who have led the sports project this season. Despite appreciating the work they have done, the white-and-blue president believes it is time to bet on a change of cycle.

The white-and-blue fans have long been calling for new fire, from top to bottom, to regain enthusiasm in a project that, if it maintains this dynamic next year, will once again be doomed to suffering. Of the top four in the first team, however, only Chen will start next season, as José María Durán left the club at the end of March due to disagreements with the president. Yansheng, at the time, did not buy Durán’s plan, which proposed to do without Rufete and make a big shock to the staff, with about thirty moves. Rufete was aware of the wear and tear on his figure since Rubi’s departure and the subsequent relegation to Second. Alicante’s contract with Espanyol expires at the end of this season.

The Chinese businessman, who is still keeping some proposals on the table to sell the club after refusing an offer from an American group, shakes the organization chart again after assuring that he would be more involved. Since Yansheng’s arrival at Espanyol six years ago, three general managers have left the club (Ramon Robert, Roger Guasch and José María Durán; three sporting directors (Ángel Gómez, Jordi Lardín and Rufete, in addition) of Òscar Perarnau, who occupied a position superior to the organizational chart), and eight coaches: Galca, Quique Sánchez Flores, Rubi, David Gallego, Pablo Machín, Abelardo, Rufete and Vicente Moreno.

Catoira, probable relief of Rufete

As ARA has learned, Yansheng’s favorite idea to replace Rufete is not to look for a replacement but to promote internal talent. In this sense, who has more options now to become his replacement is the current technical secretary, Domingo Catoira, a figure who Rufete joined in June 2020. Born in Evian les Bains (France ) in 1972, Catoira was the object of desire of Deportivo a few months before landing at Espanyol. Catoira trained as a central defender for Deportivo, and in 2007 he made the leap to the offices in Benidorm, where he had hung up his boots. He later worked in Valladolid and Valencia in two stages (from 2010 to 2014 and from 2017 to 2020.

They are missing to close the last economic fringes

As for Vicente Moreno, according to ARA sources close to him, the coach felt compelled to fulfill the third year of his contract, but the entity has decided to fire him and try to start a new stage to “cheer up the fans”. Pending the final negotiation of the economic fringes, the departure will be made official between this Thursday and Friday.

Despite claiming that he had met the goals set by the club, the internal and external wear and tear of recent months, the poor image shown by the team and the lack of revaluation of the staff have ended up weighing against a coach who seduced less and less hobby that demands something more than approved.

Moreno, who will not be able to say goodbye to the public from the grass, will leave through the back door of a Spaniard whom he has managed to return to the highest category and save without undue suffering. The coach has met both goals with more skill than brilliance. And, no less, it has achieved this despite the low investment in reinforcements that the club has ended up executing: since the summer of 2020, Espanyol has only spent 8.7 million euros on signings. Massanassa’s coach leaves the team with 85 games in a row: 39 wins, 20 draws and 26 defeats, 123 goals for and 89 against. Moreno, however, has not been able to put an end to the agony of a team that has been living on income for months and has been saved by the good management of the first round and because the direct rivals have not done their homework in the second. .

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