The abrupt departure of Rubén Reyes last summer left the Oviedo staff on the wrong foot. It has been known for months that the sports director had “girlfriends”, that he was also looking for greater recognition within the club (salary, it is understood) and that there was a risk when leaving him. But the possibility of his abandoning a project in which he seemed involved was never seriously considered. But Reyes slammed the door and the Tartiere offices, still with Carso, Vallina and Federico González, were left shaking.
Chema Aragón (Valladolid, 1970) was the first name to appear on the blue agenda to fill the void left by the departure of Reyes. A few months ago, in the pre-Pachuca stage, a power struggle was in the air at the club that called into question any decision. Federico González, advisor to Carso, and David Mata, manager, on the one hand; the council and César, institutional relations, on the other. Aragón’s profile convinced both parties and that was not so simple.
For this reason, at the end of May, Oviedo met with the sports director of Mirandés, the Blues’ rival this afternoon (6:30 p.m.) at the Carlos Tartiere. The meeting took place in Bilbao and was attended by David Mata and César Martín, representatives of the two forces that were fighting for power in the club. The impression was pleasant.
The meetings took place in the following days, through video calls in which both Federico González and the rest of the directors participated. Aragón was chosen and he was very excited to take on the challenge. They say from the club that he showed himself from day one with very clear ideas. He knew what he would want in Oviedo. For example, he undoubtedly defended the continuity of Cuco Ziganda. But there was a problem, a big one: he had another year left on his contract with Mirandés.
Aragón thought that convincing its president, Alfredo de Miguel, would be easy. But there the operation was entrenched. The leader closed the exit door referring to the Aragon clause: one million euros, according to what he revealed to LA NUEVA ESPAÑA. An amount that Oviedo was not willing to pay in any case.
Oviedo waited almost two weeks to see if De Miguel would change his mind, but it never happened. When Aragón gave up the option, Oviedo activated the alternatives and signed Tito Blanco after also negotiating with Lalo Arantegui.
So Aragón stayed in Miranda and he had to lead another reconstruction in a very particular style of signing squads: pulling on loan, betting on young blood, with Anduva as a showcase. This season, Mirandés has incorporated 16 new faces. Ten of them arrive on loan: Marcos Paulo, Nico Serrano, Roberto López, Mraz, Beñat Prados, Salinas, Raúl García, Juanlu, Pinchi, Parra, Santos, Carreras and Javi Serrano. Another six, incorporated, after arriving free: Alfonso Herrero (formerly from Oviedo), Álex Martín, Manu García, Raúl Navas, Michelis and Barbu.
The intention is to take advantage of that individual talent still to be polished so that the team continues competing for another year in the Second Division. With Etxeberría at the controls and still recovering from a defective start to the championship, Mirandés arrives at Tartiere at its best, after five games without losing. Chema Aragón, the man who was able to design this Oviedo, is the ideologue of today’s threat against Carlos Tartiere.
