Ron Gourlay short on squad slots as Valencia face summer clear-out | OneFootball

Valencia start pre-season in just over a week and Ron Gourlay faces an overloaded squad with too few registration slots. He wanted Carlos Corberán to return to a largely settled group, but exits are stuck and injuries bite.

According to AS, 27 places are already taken after De Haas and Dieng signed, Sato’s move is advanced, and Cenk, Alberto Marí, Iker Córdoba and Sergi Canós returned. That list will change before the window shuts.

Only two have simple registration fixes, Iker Córdoba and Canós. Córdoba, 20, can hold a B-team slot, but Alberto Marí, 25, and Rubén Iranzo, 23, must be first-team. Sato is Under-23, yet visa issues point to a professional registration.

Canós is out until at least January and could be left unregistered this summer, then added on recovery. A compensated termination before June 2027 is not ruled out. Diego López, after a knee injury, could also wait until January, though the plan is to register him.

Even then, no places open within the 25 professional slots. Corberán wants at least five more signings, a goalkeeper, right-back, holding midfielder, winger and striker, so departures are needed for Fair Play.

Cenk, Santamaría and Raba are available, as is Andre Almeida, though fee size will be more decisive for him. With Foulquier, Diakhaby and Copete, recovery timelines add uncertainty. A centre-back is not ruled out, dependent on Cenk’s exit, and keeping a spare slot for January looks unlikely. Gourlay and Lisandro Isei are in the city this week handling exits.

Source: AS