From the beginning it was a priority due to the departures of Diego López and Oier Olazabal, but the market invited patience when it came to reinforcing the goal. The sports management of Espanyol had it, also Álvaro Fernández, in the shortlist from the beginning along with the Polish Dragowski and, finally, almost in September and with one day left until the market closes, one of the soap operas of the summer has been resolved, The 24-year-old goalkeeper from La Rioja will wear the blue and white shirt this season.
Fernández is the guarantee goalkeeper for whom the sports management has sighed all summer. Lecomte’s performance in these first three days have only confirmed the previous decision of the club. And Arnedo’s meets the needs. A young goalkeeper, with experience in the elite, he has played for Huesca in the First Division and for Brentford in the Premier, and has the ambition to establish himself in the top flight.
However, the process has not been easy. Contacts with his representative began months ago, but economic difficulties made a transfer unfeasible. He had offers from other firsts such as Girona, Getafe or Real Sociedad. He decided to wait for Espanyol and when the margin ran out, the parakeet team decided to opt for a loan worth 400,000 euros with a purchase option of about 3 million euros.
On his first day, and after completing his first training session under Diego Martínez, Fenández explained why he chose Espanyol. “It’s a very good opportunity. It hasn’t been easy, but this is the ideal place for me. It’s where I want to be. It’s a very nice project with a great coach. The summer has been long and it hasn’t been solved until now”, he explained.
The goalkeeper confessed that “the first contact was at the beginning of the summer. We started talks, we were close to an agreement but it could not be done due to various demands. Throughout the summer we held talks. There were other teams. Sunday it was decided a few days ago and it was very easy for me to make the decision,” he said.
Fernández described himself as an “agile, fast, powerful goalkeeper, with good footwork. I have had a deficit in aerial play, but in the premiere I have improved it. But the characteristic that is often less seen is my character. I have a cold mind and a warm heart. I defend myself well in all goal situations”, he explained.
For his part, Domingo Catoira explained again that there is no Raúl de Tomás case. The sports director pointed out that his situation is the same as it was months ago, although he did not rule out an exit in the form of a loan “if it is good for Espanyol.”
