La Liga Relegation Battle: Osasuna, Leganés, Las Palmas, Rayo Vallecano

The 2024/2025 La Liga season will kick off on the 16th of this month. Sports Leisu will bring you previews of all 20 La Liga teams. Today’s focus is on four relegation-threatened teams: Osasuna, Leganés, Las Palmas, and Rayo Vallecano.

Osasuna: Captain’s Departure Raises Defensive Concerns, New Manager Under Scrutiny

Team Profile

Osasuna is the only club from Navarre to have played in Spain’s top flight. The team has won the Spanish Second Division four times, most recently in the 18/19 season, after which they have remained in La Liga.

In the 2023/24 La Liga season, Osasuna finished with 12 wins, 9 draws, and 17 losses, placing them 11th in the league, 12 points clear of relegation. However, excluding the relegated Granada and Almería, Osasuna had the third-worst defense (conceding 56 goals) among the teams that avoided relegation, just better than Villarreal and Celta Vigo.

Osasuna has its unique strategy for avoiding relegation. They performed exceptionally well against direct relegation rivals like Almería, Getafe, Granada, and Celta Vigo. In these matches, their leading scorer, Božidar Bodul, a Croatian international, delivered 17 goals and two assists, nearly half of the team’s total goals.

Summer Transfer Window

In the summer transfer window, Osasuna sold their captain and defensive cornerstone David García for €8.75 million. The 30-year-old central defender was indispensable to Osasuna’s defense over the past six seasons, contributing occasionally in set-piece attacks. To replace him, Osasuna signed the 23-year-old central defender Borja Bretón from Segunda División side Real Oviedo. However, his lack of experience compared to García raises concerns about the team’s defense in the new season.

Key Players

After Croatia’s elimination in the European Championship group stage, the 33-year-old veteran Božidar Bodul chose to stay at Osasuna to help the team avoid relegation. In Osasuna’s offensive lineup, only Bodul and the 23-year-old Raul García can consistently score. However, Osasuna secured the loan signing of Bayern Munich’s winger Bryan Saragossa, who is familiar with La Liga and will become an absolute core player on the wing.

Manager Profile

Following the team’s return to European competition, Osasuna’s manager Jagoba Arrasate announced the end of his nearly six-year tenure. The management appointed Víctor Moreno, who had almost run out of options in La Liga. The 49-year-old Moreno was fired from Espanyol due to poor performance and had a brief stint at Almería with only two points from seven games before being dismissed. His appointment sparked distrust on social media, and the team may struggle in the relegation battle amid changes.

Leganés: The Cucumber Army Returns to La Liga, Young Coach Aims for Survival

Team Profile

In the final round of the 2023/24 Segunda División, Leganés defeated Elche 2-0 at home, while their title rivals Valladolid lost 1-2 away to Tenerife, allowing Leganés to clinch the championship and return to the top flight after four years.

Nicknamed the Cucumber Army, Leganés faced numerous challenges in recent seasons. Financial difficulties forced them to sell key attackers Youssef En-Nesyri and Martin Braithwaite in 19/20, leading to relegation. In 2022, the American consortium Blue Crow took over, helping the team rebuild within two years.

Summer Transfer Window

With financial backing, Leganés was active in the summer transfer window. They released veterans like Nenad Erceg, Dani Jiménez, Míchel Macedo, and Borja Lasso, and let go of young players with little top-flight experience like Unai Vencedor and Iván Pérez. However, the squad’s core remains stable.

In terms of signings, Leganés brought back goalkeeper Sergio Arias, who previously played on loan for the team in 19/20. Arias, aged 26, wore the number one shirt and performed well in the 2023/24 Segunda División, helping Tenerife reach the promotion playoffs despite scoring less than one goal per game on average. Additionally, Leganés spent €2 million and €1 million to sign Segunda División promotion heroes Ander Capa (13 goals) and Juan Cruz (4 goals, 2 assists), while full-back Franquesa stayed with the team.

Key Players

The 24-year-old Ander Capa was Leganés’ top scorer in 2023/24, followed by Diego García, a product of Leganés’ youth academy, with 12 goals. Both chose to stay with Leganés for the new season. Wearing the number ten jersey, Dani Raba is another key offensive player, delivering eight goals and seven assists last season. Together with Capa and García, they form a formidable trio.

Manager Profile

The coach who led Leganés back to La Liga is the 39-year-old young coach Borja Jiménez. He began his coaching career at age 30, leading Segunda División side Mirandés to the Copa del Rey title before moving to the Greek Super League and Deportivo La Coruña. He then joined Leganés. Notably, Jiménez won the Miguel Muñoz Cup, awarded annually by Marca to the best managers in La Liga and Segunda División, highlighting his recognition.

Las Palmas: Possession Game Continues, Expecting Points at Home

Team Profile

Las Palmas is based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with a stadium that can hold over 30,000 spectators. The island’s distance from mainland Spain (over 1,100 km) provides a natural advantage. In 2023/24, as a promoted team, they secured safety with 24 points at home, accounting for 60% of their total points.

Despite being in the relegation zone, Las Palmas did not abandon the essence of Spanish football. They made 21,245 passes, second only to Real Madrid and Barcelona, surpassing fourth-placed Girona by nearly 1,000 passes. Their pass completion rate was 84%, with midfielder Kilian Rodríguez, full-backs Cardona, and Mammone having impressive touches.

Summer Transfer Window

Several players were sought after by other La Liga teams due to the mature possession-based system. Left-footed full-back Sergi Cardona joined Villarreal on a free transfer, and center-back Saúl Coco moved to Torino for €7.5 million. As of now, the local attacker Álex Moleiro and French midfielder Léo Laidouche could also leave.

For reinforcements, Las Palmas signed Dutch international goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen from NAC Breda. The 35-year-old is expected to be the first-choice goalkeeper. Defensively, the ball-playing center-back Muñoz was signed, while in midfield, Iván Gil joins from Segunda División. In attack, Las Palmas signed several forwards: Alavés’ Fuster, Sheffield United’s David McGoldrick, Getafe’s Jaime Mata, and former Manchester United talent Adnan Januzaj, enhancing their offensive capabilities.

Key Players

The Belgian attacker Adnan Januzaj, who shone at 19 in Manchester, has struggled in recent seasons. After spells at Sevilla and Turkish side Başakşehir, he joined Las Palmas on loan, aiming to rediscover his form. At the pre-season press conference, Januzaj expressed his desire to overcome his Sevilla period and fulfill his potential in Las Palmas.

Manager Profile

Following the 2023/24 season, head coach Pimienta was poached by Sevilla. Las Palmas appointed 45-year-old former Real Oviedo coach Carrion, who shares the team’s philosophy of pure Spanish football. Carrion also brought his protégé Vitín Rosada and assistant Domingo Cisma from Real Oviedo.

Interestingly, Las Palmas faces Sevilla in the opening match, with Januzaj facing his former club and Sevilla’s new coach Pimienta eager to impress his old team.

Rayo Vallecano: Struggled Offensively Last Season, Olympic Gold Medalist Awaits Impact

Team Profile

Rayo Vallecano is based in the Vallecas district of Madrid, with a stadium that can accommodate over 15,000 spectators. In the 2023/24 season, they narrowly avoided relegation, finishing 17th, their worst performance since returning to La Liga in 2021/22. Despite having the third-most shots (493, nearly 13 per game), they scored the second-fewest goals (29), fewer than relegated Almería and Granada.

Summer Transfer Window

Due to financial constraints, Rayo Vallecano made few moves in the summer transfer window. The only fee received was for forward Andrés Martín, bought by Santander. Veterans Radamel Falcao and starting goalkeeper Dimitrievski left on free transfers. For reinforcements, Rayo signed Barcelona B defender Pelayo Fernández defensively and loaned Almería’s Adrián Embarba and Granada’s Gumbau in midfield.

Key Players

In the Paris Olympics men’s football final, Rayo Vallecano’s striker Sergio Camello came off the bench in extra time to score twice, helping Spain’s Olympic team defeat France 5-3 to win the gold medal. In the 2023/24 La Liga season, Camello scored three goals in 31 appearances, a decline from the previous season. However, after the Olympics, he could compete with the underperforming De Tomás for a starting spot.

Manager Profile

The 36-year-old young coach Iñigo Pérez took charge of Rayo Vallecano in February 2024 when the team was struggling. He led the team to draw with Real Madrid and beat Real Betis and Osasuna, stabilizing their position. In pre-season friendlies, Pérez continued to use a 4-2-3-1 formation but struggled against teams like Guimarães, Heerenveen, and Bournemouth.

As one of the most shot-hungry teams last season, if Rayo Vallecano cannot improve their finishing, their relegation prospects remain bleak. In the first round, they face La Liga’s top defensive team, Real Sociedad, hoping for a strong start.