Football Season Guide

Had a good campaign last time around. Will have some regrets that their Europa League campaign ended in the manner it did, folding far too easily at home against Sporting Braga in the quarter-finals - a tournament they were equipped to win. Still, finishing 5th earned them a UCL spot, which was huge for Pellegrini, who still has his non-believers in Andalusia. Not much has changed since last season. They're keeping their cards close to their chest in the transfer market, really. They've added Bernal in midfield to replace Altimira, GK Conde as a backup following the departure of Adrian and Pau Lopez, and Fran Garcia to replace Rodriguez at LB. If he signs a new deal, then late bloomer Gnangoro Bouare could be the Amrabat replacement - he's played a lot in friendlies. Still, they've lost more than they've gained. They lost two strikers in Avila and Bakambu, leaving them with just Hernandez. That's fine if you're playing one match a week but they've got a European campaign so they're going to play every few days, and they're not equipped to do that at present. A striker is certainly high up their list. Fabio Silva has been constantly linked with them, and seems the likeliest as he's desperate to move to Spain. Franjo Ivanovic and Kevin Denkey are potential alternatives. For now though, there's no movement. Antony had surgery to correct a problem during the summer months. He has returned to training, and can play here but hasn't had much of a pre-season so they may need to play it safer with him in the beginning. They should be in a position to compete for a UCL place again this season with the proviso that they adequately reinforce at CDM and up front to give them the opportunity to rotate where necessary. If not, it could be a case of chasing two rabbits, and losing them both, resulting in a disappointing mid-season finish.