Despite the Segunda Division season extending into June 2019, attention will quickly turn to the 2019-20 La Liga campaign, with the three newly promoted sides.
Osasuna won the second tier title, with an eight point advantage over Granada, with both sides returning to the top of the Spanish football pyramid for the first time since 2017.
Real Mallorca’s dramatic play-off final win over Deportivo la Coruna brings to end an a six-year absence from La Liga for the Balearic side.
With promotion assured, all three sides know they face a real battle to retain their place in La Liga, with little time to make preparations before the curtain goes up, on August 19.
Osasuna have been the busiest side so far, in terms of movements in the transfer market, with Jagoba Arrasate looking to add firepower to his team for the season ahead.
His side were the top scorers in the 2018-19 Segunda Division, with 59 goals from 42 games, and he looks set to adopt a front foot approach in the coming months.
They have activated the purchase clause for Stade Rennias forward Brandon Llamis, after he played a big role in seeing them promoted, during a season-long loan at El Sadar.
The other big news is the permanent arrival of Ruben Garcia, another loanee from 2018-19, who completes a move from Levante, while promising forward Marc Cardona has rejected the chance to make his loan to Eibar a permanent one – choosing instead to join Arrasate’s side from FC Barcelona.
That brings Osasuna’s total up to €6m so far, comfortably more than the other two newly promoted sides.
Real Mallorca are not hanging around in making new signings, but Vicente Moreno is utilising the free transfers market – with defender Martin Valjent coming in from Serie B side Chievo, for a €1m compensation fee, alongside a host of loan signings.
Back of the spending queue is Granada, with just one signing so far for Diego Martinez’s side – with Fede Vico coming in from fellow La Liga side Leganes for €250,000, following a season long loan at the Andalucian club.
All three club are going to be operating on a budget ahead of the new season, and with few sell-able assets for any of them, it could be a testing start to life back in the top flight.
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