Corberán punishes Raba and Santamaria with Copa omission | OneFootball

According to Superdeporte, Carlos Corberán has finalised Valencia’s squad for the Copa del Rey quarter-final against Athletic Club at Mestalla, leaving out Dani Raba and Baptiste Santamaría despite their availability. The move is framed as a direct message after both refused January exits, which also prevented a fourth signing following the arrivals of Umar Sadiq, Guido Rodríguez and Unai Núñez.

Valencia are in their team hotel preparing for another big night at Mestalla, with a place in the semi-finals, and a shot at the trophy, in sight.

Both players came close to departing in January but chose to stay, turning down options elsewhere. That stance did not land well internally, where work had been done to free space and rebalance the squad.

The consequences have arrived quickly. Raba, already overlooked against Betis, and Santamaría are omitted on what is presented as a technical call, while their futures look uncertain.

Thierry, Agirrezabala and Diakhaby are sidelined through injury, with Rivero suspended. The squad is rounded out by B-team trio Abril, Raúl Jiménez and Iranzo.

Source: Superdeporte