Sports Mole assesses whether Rayo Vallecano can repeat their eighth-place finish from last season in the new La Liga campaign.
There is no question that Rayo Vallecano were the surprise package of last season, with the capital outfit securing an incredible eighth-place finish in La Liga.
However, they were always going to struggle to keep their star players out of the clutches of other teams this summer, which proved to be the case.
Here, Sports Mole discusses Rayo's chances of replicating their incredible top-half finish in the new season.
In: Raul Baena (Espanyol), Nery Castillo (Pachuca), Kohan Mojica (Cali – Loan), Saul Niguez (Atletico Madrid – Loan), Ruben (Malaga), Leonel Galeano (Independiente), Joaquin Larrivey (Atlante), Alberto Bueno (Real Valladolid)
Out: Leo Baptistao (Atletico Madrid), Javi Fuego (Valencia), Raul Tamudo (Released), Gabriel Machado (Released), Mikel Labaka (Retired), Andrija Delibasic (Released), Daniel Gimenez (Alcorcon), Jose Manuel Casado (Released), Alejandro Dominguez (Olympiacos), Piti (Granada), Rafa Garcia (Lugo)
Last season: 8th
Manager: Paco Jemez
Three key players:
Lass Bangoura: There is no question that Rayo were one of the most exciting teams to watch in La Liga last season. One of those reasons were the performances of Lass, who at the age of 21, has already made a big impression in the top level of Spanish football. He has made 60 first-team appearances for the club since joining in 2010, scoring six goals in the process. It came as no surprise when Real Madrid attempted to secure his services in June 2011, but the Guinean, who has made 12 appearances for his country, decided that his education would be best served at Rayo. There were times when Lass frustrated last season, be it one trick too many or a misplaced pass in the final third, but there were moments of brilliance from the winger, who has just about everything you could possibly want to succeed in the modern game.
Roberto Trashorras: Having been a regular member of the Barcelona youth set-up since joining the Catalan side in 1995, Trashorras certainly knows how to pass the ball. In total, he made 119 league appearances for Barcelona B, scoring 33 times in the process before departing to join Real Madrid B in 2003. Another 65 appearances followed in the second tier, before he sought regular first-team football at Numancia. Spells with Las Palmas and Celta Vigo – where he scored 17 times in 109 appearances – followed, before he committed his future to Rayo in 2011. With the amount of players that have departed the club this summer, the 32-year-old becomes even more important to the team. If Rayo are to remain clear of the drop zone, they need the midfielder on top of his game.
Nery Castillo: To suggest that Castillo has endured a tough time since leaving Olympiacos in 2007 would be putting it kindly. The 29-year-old, who spent seven years with Olympiacos from 2000, was one of the most highly-rated forwards in Europe during his career with the Greek outfit. He scored 15 goals in 35 games in the 2006-07 campaign before earning a move to Shakhtar Donetsk. He scored just once during an unhappy first season, before spending periods on loan with Manchester City, Dnipro, Chicago Fire and Aris, who he eventually joined in 2011. It proved to be another unsuccessful spell, however, with the striker leaving to join Mexican club Pachuca in 2012. Another loan spell at Leon followed last season, but he failed to find the target before joining Rayo on a free this summer. The experienced Mexican certainly has something to prove, but there is no question that he has the talent to score goals at this level.
First game: Elche (H), Aug 19
Sports Mole says: It is difficult to get away from the fact that they have lost a number of their key players this summer. Leo Baptistao and Piti were their focal points for much of last season, while the departures of Raul Tamudo and Javi Fuego – two big talents – will also hit them hard. Paco Jemez has done his best to add to the squad this summer, but the fact of the matter is that he is working on a shoestring budget, especially at this level of football. A number of loan players could arrive from now until the end of the transfer window, but it remains to be seen what quality of player is introduced. However, what Rayo lack in quality, they make for in pure desire, and it is that desire which should be just enough to secure their La Liga status come the end of next season.
Predicted finish: 17th
