A recap. My mission was to return Deportivo la Coruna to their Super Depor status. After four seasons I stepped away to attempt the 1000 goal challenge (which was completed and will be featured elsewhere). When I left La Liga had been won and the great news was the board had decided to invest in constructing a new stadium.
Key to the success had been my transfer policy, binging in under valued players and selling them on for profits. The club has been notoriously tight with cash, so I am constantly out on the look out for bargains.
Two targets remained for Depor. Complete the stadium build (three years’ time according to the plans) and winning the Champions League. Could I deliver the CL trophy by the time the stadium was constructed?
2021/22
Transfers are the name of the game at this club, making this a good place to start. Here are the most notable dealings.
On the in side the big moves are:
Malcolm
Signed for £20 million from Flamengo. Remarkably Flamengo had been able to sign Malcolm from Barcelona for £5.5 million.
Oscar
Bought in for £5.5 million from Real Madrid. Talented midfielders getting no where near the Real Madrid starting XI and transfer listed.
Denis Suarez
Picked up for free when his contract expired. Barcelona had been sending him on loan or simply ignoring him. I spied a future profit.
Dani Olmo
Pre contract deal. Signed for free. Amazingly this supreme talent was still at Zagreb but he was unhappy. I stepped in quickly and made the signing.
Gabriel Barbosa
Pre contract deal. Signed for free. Inter had sent him here there and everywhere on loan. Another opportunity to turn a profit.
On the out side are:
Matias Pellegrini
Signed for £1.6million from Estudientes. Manchester City spent £53 million to sign him. A profit of over £50 million. This money was reinvested in Malcolm during the January transfer window.
Pape Cheikh Diop
Diop cost £1.5 million from Leagnes. He was sold for £10 million to Mainz.
Fede Cartabia
Signed for free from Braga. Sold to Granada for £4.2 million.
Domestic
In the league Depor would be convincing champions. Only one defeat (1-0 at Real Madrid) and a 20 point margin. The goal tally of last season was not matched but the defensive record improved slightly.
The cup was won after a stunning final, late goals and high drama, with Oscar eventually sealing the game in extra time.
Champions League
Depor were handed a tough group, facing Inter, PSG and Schalke. The first two games set the team up, crushing Inter at home before winning a crazy game in Paris. The craziness would return at home to Manchester City, a 6-4 win which allowed City an away goal win.
2022/23
With prolonged success came a bigger transfer kitty. Here are the notable dealings.
In:
Lee Kangin
Signed from Krasnodar for £19 million.
Erling Haland
Signed from RB Salzburg for £15.5million.
Zeca
Purchaed from Flamngo for £15 million after Jiangsu raided the club in the January window.
Calvin Stengs
A bargain at £3.3 million.
Emerson
An excellent full back who had shone for me in Brazil. Available for just £1.1 million and signed after the Jiangsu full back raid.
Martin Odegaard.
Transfer listed by Real Madrid for a mere £1.1 million. It was an easy decision to add him to the squad.
Out:
Jean Kevin-Augustin
After a brilliant season Inter came in with a huge £56 million plus add-ons offer. Augustin had been signed for just £4 million, giving me a £52 million profit.
Gabriel Barbosa
After Haland’s arrival Barbosa found himself slipping down the pecking order. Jiangsu offered me £30 million for a a player signed for free.
Kevin Rodrigues
Rodrigues served the club for 4 seasons after costing just £1.3 million. Jiangsu paid £24 million. Another large profit made.
Denis Suarez
Signed for free the previous summer. After 27 appearances I sold him on for £16.5 million.
Adrian Ortola
This was the most difficult move. Ortola had been my goalkeeper for four and a half seasons having signed for £1.3 million from Barcelona. Barcelona came in for him at £16.5 million. I could not persuade him to stay. After taking the profit I found a replacement from Argentina for £4 million.
Bryan Mbeumo
Mbuemo had simply been over taken by players of higher quality and needed to be moved on. He was sold for £8.5 million, a small profit on the £6.75 million paid.
Domestic
A different structure to this season due to the 2022 World Cup in the middle of the season. This had no impact on the league but did change the format of the cup.
The margin in the league this season was increased to 25 points. Two defeats at Valencia and Real Madrid but 33 wins, 125 goals scored and just 30 conceded.
The Spanish Cup was equally convincing, with the final won 5-1.
Champions League
This season Depor received a much kinder group stage. Five wins out of six, including a crushing 9-0 win against Slavia Prague. Dortmund would win 3-2 in the first league of the knock out stage but this would be overturned in style, winning the second game 8-0.
In the next round came yet another 4-4 draw with Liverpool. At this stage the teams had played three times, all three finished 4-4. In the second leg a 2-1 win put Depor through. Real were sept aside in the semi-final.
The final would prove to be another crazy clash with Manchester City. From 3-0 down Depor would get back to 3-3 and take the game to extra time. Sterling put City 4-3 ahead, but then Villabre made the game 4-4. Two minutes into stoppage time in extra time Mbappe clinched the game for City. An extraordinary final.
2022/23
The transfer market is once again where we start. Not quite as dramatic as the previous season but still some very significant moves.
Kai Havertz
Unhappy at Leverkusen, my scouts suggested he would be available at a cut price, despite not being transfer listed. After a little negotiating an offer of £29 million was accepted and I had stolen a fantastic player.
Lisandro Martinez
One of the best central defenders in the game had found his way to Atalanta and was unhappy in the January window. I signed him for £15 million after losing one of my central defenders to PSG.
Mickael Cuisance
A central midfielder who usually costs a small fortune but he was transfer listed by Borussia. At £15 million I could not turn down the opportunity.
Out:
Malcolm
PSG came in with a £70 million offer for a player signed for £20 million. A tidy £50 million profit.
Luis Abram
Signed four seasons ago for £4.5 million, PSG made a £28 million offer. Once I worked out that I could bring in Martinez and still have money left over it was an easy decision to accept the offer.
Domestic
A fourth straight La Liga title was sealed by 20 points. Just one defeat this season, once again away to Real Madrid. Another 33 wins and 114 goals scored. The defence improved by 10 goals, conceding only 20.
The Spanish Cup returned to a two legged format but I was handed a very easy run, finished with a relatively low key 3-1 win against Sevilla.
Champions League
The group stage featured three 7-0 wins as all six games were won. The knock out stages would be an English affair. In the last 16 Chelsea were beaten 7-3 on aggregate. The quarter finals would bring Depor up against the Manchester City nemesis. The games were no where near as crazy, but no less close. A 3-2 win away was followed by a 2-1 win at home. Manchester United were eased past 6-0 on aggregate to set up a final against Arsenal.
Finally the trophy would be ours. It took a late winner from Erling Haland but the Champions League was delivered.
The new stadium was completed a few months later, with Depor well and truly Super again.
The squad had become packed with super stars, all of whom had been purchased for below market value and performed superbly. From a second division squad to one that was the match of any in the world.
Unsain
Emerson
Zeca
Costinha
Rogerio
Jesus Vallejo
Federico Valverde
Lisandro Martinez
Lee Kangin
Sergio Gomez
Kai Havertz
Lucas Robertone
Oscar
Mickael Cuisance
Martin Odegaard
Dani Olmo
Calvin Stengs
Erling Haland
Asier Villalibre
Juan Hernandez
Thiago Almada
Almada was deliberately saved until last. His story and Depor’s story are parallel. Starting relatively small and unknown and growing to the very top of the game. Alamada was signed for a small fee but his value climbed massively. Along the way award after award would be won.
This was a save of growth, and ultimately, achievement.
Thank you Super Depor, it was a blast.