Analysis: Sevilla on the edge of the abyss on eve of La Liga return | OneFootball

With just a few matches remaining before Sunday’s opening match of the campaign against Athletic Club, Sevilla find themselves in an incredibly precarious situation. Just as has been the case for the last two seasons, Sevilla are well over their salary limit and in need of sales before bringing in new arrivals. It’s been a quiet summer thus far in Nervion, with only Suso departing on a free transfer, and consequently, Sevilla have been able to finalise just three new arrivals: Alfon Gonzalez and Gabriel Suazo on free transfers and Odysseas Vlachodimos on loan.

La Liga’s strict salary rules are precisely why Sevilla could end up not registering anyone before Sunday’s opener and go into the match with just 12 available first-team players. Orjan Nyland will start between the sticks whilst Adria Pedrosa and Marcao – both of whom are labelled “completely transferable” according to AS – will start in defence alongside Kike Salas and Jose Angel Carmona, while Lucien Agoume, Djibril Sow and Nemanja Gudelj will man the midfield, with Dodi Lukebakio, Peque Fernandez and Isaac Romero will start up front. However, apart from Juanlu Sanchez, Matias Almeyda is expected to have a bench full of reserve players for his first match as Sevilla manager.

Image via Marca

So far, transfer revenue has been as present as Godot for a team that is in desperate need of it. Los Nervionenses registered Juanlu a couple of days ago in order to then sell him, with Napoli and Wolves reportedly eyeing a deal for the youngster, but so far, they haven’t been able to agree a sale. What’s more, they also haven’t found new homes for returning loanees like Adnan Januzaj, Kelechi Iheanacho, Rafa Mir and Joan Jordan.

The other candidate for a sizable transfer fee could be Loic Bade, who played an integral role in their conquest of the 2022-23 UEFA Europa League title. Having attracted interest from a bevy of Premier League sides like Bournemouth and Tottenham Hotspur, it appears that the Frenchman’s next destination is not in England but Germany, with Bayer Leverkusen reportedly closing in on a €25m deal. But unless Sevilla can nail down these sales in the next few days, Almeyda will have a makeshift squad to choose from in his opener.

It wasn’t always like this for Sevilla. Bolstered by the shrewd leadership of Monchi, who is regarded as one of the top sporting directors in the game alongside the likes of Walter Sabatini, Les Reed, and Beppe Marotta, Sevilla managed to rise to the top of the game and become one of the most successful European football clubs of the 21st century. The Andalusian side ended a 58-year trophy drought by winning the 2005/06 UEFA Cup, proceeding to claim another four Europa League titles and two Copa del Rey titles under the tenure of Monchi. He called it quits in 2017 after claiming a remarkable 11 trophies across his 16-year tenure and made the move to Roma, only to end up returning in 2019.

With Monchi at the helm, Sevilla managed to return to the apex of the game, consolidating their presence in the top four and winning the 2019/20 and 2022/23 UEFA Europa League titles. However, since Monchi departed his boyhood club in 2023 to become Aston Villa’s new president of football operations, Sevilla fans have had to deal with stormy weather. The decline in performances on the pitch, combined with a drop in transfer revenue and missing out on Europe in back-to-back seasons, has brought Sevilla to the precipice.

It’s why Sevilla have so far been unable to register various players like Ruben Vargas and Akor Adams, who were unregistered by La Liga on June 30 after previously arriving in the winter transfer window, as well as others like Suazo and Alfon, and why they might just consider not renewing anyone for their imminent fixture against Athletic. And it’s why, after avoiding relegation by just one point last season, Sevillistas look set for yet another challenging campaign.