Stole Dimitrievski earns Valencia No 1 role for 2026/27 | OneFootball

Stole Dimitrievski ended 2025/26 as Valencia’s first-choice and, on current plans, will carry that status into 2026/27. According to Superdeporte, he topped a readers’ poll assessing the club and has moved from dispensable to trusted under Carlos Corberán.

Valencia decided weeks ago to activate the clause extending his deal from June 2026 to June 2028, paying the goalkeeper a bonus close to half a million euros. His salary will also rise over the new term.

His breakthrough came after Julen Agirrezabala sustained a meniscus injury, having been Corberán’s pick earlier in 2025. In November the North Macedonian international expressed frustration at limited minutes and mentioned a team-mate’s contract terms, then paid a fine under internal rules. A planned 2024 sale of Giorgi Mamardashvili had also been postponed by a year.

Months on, his status has flipped. The club will soon announce the new agreement and, subject to form, he is the starter for a campaign limited to LaLiga and the Copa del Rey. Recruitment is focused on a lower-cost deputy with Spanish top-flight experience, with Cristian Rivero as third choice and loans sought above Segunda RFEF for Vicent Abril and Raúl Jiménez.

Dimitrievski’s second-half numbers underpin that trust. He conceded 25 goals in 20 league matches, an average of 1.25 per game that only six goalkeepers bettered, including Joan García, Thibaut Courtois, David Soria and Jan Oblak, while Villarreal’s Luiz Júnior led at 1.07 from 30 in 28. He ranked seventh on 1.25, ahead of Ionuț Radu on 1.26 and Álvaro Valles on 1.29, with Augusto Batalla sixth at 1.09.

Source: Superdeporte