One month after the summer transfer window closed, six players from Real Avilés Industrial’s survival-clinching campaign remain unattached.
While the club successfully preserved its status on the final matchday of the previous season against Pontevedra, several core contributors from that squad have found themselves on the outside looking in.
Campabadal and Gómez Face Unexpected Unemployment
The most striking absences from active rosters belong to Edu Campabadal and Adri Gómez, two veterans who surpassed the 30-year-old threshold. Both players served as essential fixtures under managers Dani Vidal and Lolo Escobar during a campaign where Avilés briefly dreamed of finishing in the high positions of the standings before battling to secure safety.
Campabadal logged over 2,300 minutes across 32 appearances, starting 28 matches while splitting time between his natural right-back position and the opposite flank. With eight seasons of professional experience in Segunda and one in Primera—alongside stints with Linares, Alcoyano, Atlético Baleares, and Zamora—the Catalan defender currently finds himself without a club in Primera Federación.
Alongside him in the unregistered pool is Adri Gómez, who nearly touched 3,000 minutes played. Gómez featured in 34 matches, earning 32 starts as the regular midfield partner to Kevin Bautista. Formed in Valencia’s academy with subsequent experience at Albacete in Segunda División, Unionistas, and Sestao, the midfielder’s rare absences last season were driven by accumulation of cards rather than form or fitness.
Almodóvar, Rivera, and Grigore Search for Stability
Goalkeeper Nando Almodóvar also remains available after a season split between backup duties behind Álvaro Fernández and a late-season run under Lolo Escobar. The Andalusian netminder made ten appearances, conceding 19 goals. Having arrived at the Suárez Puerta on loan from Cádiz, reports from local outlets in Cádiz indicated the parent club chose to rescind his contract, though the club issued no formal public statement and Almodóvar does not appear in Cádiz’s reserve team alignments.
Winter arrivals Christian Rivera and Grigore share a similar limbo after short-lived stints in Asturias. Rivera, the most high-profile January addition with a background at Sporting and Oviedo, required a customized pre-season regimen to reclaim match fitness. He finished his spell with 12 appearances—four as a starter—falling short of 500 total minutes. Romanian defender Grigore joined in January as well, but his playing time evaporated following a heavy defeat against Arenteiro and the eventual easing of an extensive injury crisis at the club. Grigore finished with five appearances, four of them starts, totaling roughly 400 minutes.
Cortina’s Emotional Farewell and Injury Reality
Edu Cortina’s situation differs structurally from his former peers. The Oviedo-born player spent the campaign within the Avilés orbit without a federative license while rehabilitating from a significant injury. Upon his departure, Cortina addressed the supporters directly regarding his future.
“As you know, I would have liked to be here many more years, just as I would have liked to help the team these last two seasons and enjoy this incredible category, a Suárez Puerta that never stops growing, and your affection,” Cortina stated in his farewell remarks. He attributed his current professional status to the competitive realities of the sport. “Perhaps that passion, among other things, has led me to make decisions that mean today I am not in full condition to compete at the level required by professional football and, therefore, this club.”
While players like Kevin Bautista (Athens Kallithea), Javi Cueto (Sloga Meridian), and Quicala (Ponferradina) successfully transitioned to new environments, these six unattached figures await their next sporting chapter as autumn fixtures unfold.
