ESPANYOL NEWS

Benjamin Lecomte - Makes one save in draw Lecomte registered one save but conceded two goals during Saturday's 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo.

Impact Lecomte was off form for the Espanyol squad conceding his first two goals of the season. After not playing a single match in the 2021 season, the goalkeeper has a lot to prove in order to keep his position in the starting XI.

AUGUST 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Joselu - Scores in draw Joselu finished a goal on one shot (one on target) during Saturday's 2-2 draw against Celta Vigo.

Impact Joselu scored his first goal in his first game for the Espanyol squad. After starting 35 matches in 2021 and recording 14 goals and four assists, the forward is already proving to be an important addition to the starting XI in the 2022 campaign.

AUGUST 15, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Pol Lozano - Out against Celta Lozano will miss Saturday's match against Celta Vigo due to an undisclosed injury, according to manager Diego Martinez.

Impact Lozano spent last season on loan at Girona, helping them to promotion. His presence would be helpful for a team in the midst of some evolution, but for now he isn't much more than reinforcements from the bench when fit.

AUGUST 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Adria Pedrosa - Will miss Celta match Pedrosa will miss Saturday's match against Celta Vigo due to an undisclosed injury, according to manager Diego Martinez.

Impact Pedrosa struggled with injuries late into last season and after dealing with knocks during the preseason, he'll remain limited to begin the new campaign. His absence paves the way for new signing Brian Olivan to start at left-back.

AUGUST 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Javi Puado - To miss opener Puado (muscular) will miss Saturday's match at Celta Vigo.

Impact Puado had started missing friendlies later into the preseason and wasn't able to get back in time for this trip to Vigo. Now that he's out, Nico Melamed has a good chance of starting at forward or on the right wing as Raul de Tomas (undisclosed) is also out.

AUGUST 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Oscar Regano - Will play Saturday Gil (muscular) has been declared fit ahead of Saturday's match at Celta Vigo, according to manager Diego Martinez. "He will play."

Impact Gil figures to start frequently after logging two assists in 20 starts last season. As he continues to develop, it should be expected that his minutes continue to rise with each passing year.

AUGUST 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Raul De Tomas - Out against Celta De Tomas will miss Saturday's match at Celta Vigo due to an injury, according to manager Diego Martinez.

Impact De Tomas is also awaiting news on a potential transfer but an injury has ruled him out regardless. This plants Joselu as the top option at striker, a role which he should hold more tightly if de Tomas does leave.

AUGUST 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Edu Exposito - Transfers to Espanyol Exposito has signed a five-year contract with Espanyol after transferring from Eibar, the club announced Monday.

Impact Exposito tallied four goals and four assists across two his La Liga campaigns with Eibar from 2019-21, and the 26-year-old is now moving back up to the first division with Espanyol, where will compete for a spot in the midfield.

AUGUST 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Tonny Vilhena - Left out due to contract issues Vilhena has been training on his own and missing friendlies because his club are attempting to transfer him elsewhere, according to La Grada.

Impact Fitness isn't an issue for Vilhena, but new manager Diego Martinez and the issue of paying his transfer fee to Russian club Krasnodar are situations that haven't been worked out yet. As a result, Vilhena is unlikely to stick with Espanyol for much longer, though there's still no guarantee of a departure.

AUGUST 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Raul De Tomas - Still training separately De Tomas trained separately during Wednesday's session, according to La Grada.

Impact De Tomas was not the only player to be forced to a side pitch despite no fitness issues, as manager Diego Martinez has seemingly made it clear he doesn't expect most of them to stick around this season. If this situation keeps up next week ahead of the Aug. 13 opener at Celta Vigo, expect Joselu to be the lead striker going forward.

AUGUST 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Oscar Regano - Skips friendly Gil was left out of Thursday's friendly against RB Linense as a precaution, according to manager Diego Martinez via La Grada.

Impact Gil has plenty of time before the season opens Aug. 13 against Celta Vigo but making sure he's fit is a new story to monitor. With two assists in 20 starts last season, Gil has more work to do in order to increase his value.

JULY 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Javi Puado - Avoiding risks Puado was left out of Thursday's friendly against RB Linense as a precaution, according to manager Diego Martinez via La Grada.

Impact Puado should be fine for the Aug. 13 opener against Celta Vigo but this is now a situation to track. He scored four goals and provided one assist over 30 appearances (26 starts) last season and should remain a key asset as long as he's fit.

JULY 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Raul De Tomas - Missing friendlies De Tomas will miss two friendlies against Linense and Brighton, according to La Grada.

Impact De Tomas shouldn't be injured, but keeping him rested could take away some of the distractions related to transfer rumors as well. With Joselu now at the club, losing de Tomas wouldn't be the end of the world, but it would still be a big loss. The first game of the season is Aug. 13 at Celta Vigo.

JULY 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Keidi Bare - Features in friendly Bare started during a July 24 friendly against Lille.

Impact Bare had ended last season out with a knee injury but is making good progress on his fitness ahead of a new campaign under manager Diego Martinez. As a defensive-minded player, it's important that Bare is regularly available if he's to be a valuable option.

JULY 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Adria Pedrosa - Still out in preseason Pedrosa (undisclosed) missed a preseason match against Montpellier on July 16, according to La Grada.

Impact Pedrosa missed the final month of the season after a mostly-successful campaign with one goal, one assist and 115 crosses in 31 appearances. There's still plenty of time before the season begins in mid-August but Leandro Cabrera could start if Pedrosa remains unavailable for the Aug. 13 match against Celta Vigo.

JULY 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Oscar Regano - Appears in friendly Gil featured during a July 16 friendly against Montpellier.

Impact Gil ended last season out with a muscular injury but seems fine for the coming campaign. He logged two assists in 22 appearances and should be a reliable, if lower-value option if he can stay fit.

JULY 22, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Benjamin Lecomte - Loaned to Espanyol Lecomte has joined Espanyol on a season-long loan from Monaco, the club announced Wednesday.

Impact Lecomte was the starting goalkeeper at Monaco for two seasons before the arrival of Alexander Nubel in 2021. He went on-loan to Atletico Madrid last campaign, where he didn't feature in a single as Jan Oblak's backup. But he should be utilized more this season with Espanyol and is likely to become the starter after Diego Lopez departed to Rayo Vallecano.

JULY 13, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Tonny Vilhena - Transfers to Espanyol permanently Vilhena has signed a four-year contract with Espanyol after transferring from Krasnodar, the club announced Wednesday.

Impact Vilhena became the starter on the left wing during his six-month loan spell with Espanyol last season, and the 27-year-old is now returning from Russian side Krasnodar on a full-time contract for the next four years.

JULY 13, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Vinicius de Souza Costa - Joins Espanyol Souza joined Espanyol on a season-long loan from Belgian club Lommel on Friday.

Impact Souza comes under the radar but will help fill out the midfield as a younger contributor. With two goals in 35 matches last season, attacking may not be his specialty but staying on the pitch will assist in his progress.

JULY 8, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Pol Lozano - Returns from loan Lozano has returned to Espanyol after a season-long loan with Girona.

Impact Lozano made 27 appearances in midfield last season as Girona were promoted from the second division, but the 22-year-old now returns to La Liga (where he has just five appearances to his name in the competition) with Espanyol.

JULY 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Alvaro Vadillo - Returns to Espanyol Vadillo has returned to Espanyol after a six-month loan spell with Malaga.

Impact Vadillo made just three La Liga appearances with Espanyol last season before being sent back to the second division on-loan with Malaga, where he tallied three goals and two assists in 17 games. The 27-year-old is back with Espanyol for now and he'll hope to make a better impression this time around.

JULY 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Matias Vargas - Returns from loan Vargas has returned to Espanyol after a season-long loan with Adana Demirspor.

Impact Vargas tallied five goals and 13 assists in 36 Turkish Super Lig games last season with with Adana Demirspor, and the 25-year-old is now returning to Espanyol. He made 21 appearances (10 starts) in his previous La Liga campaign with the club in 2019/20, and he will try to break back into the XI this year on either wing.

JULY 3, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Joselu - Transfers to Espanyol Joselu has signed a three-year contract with Espanyol after transferring from Alaves, the club announced Monday.

Impact Joselu tallied 36 goals and 11 assists in 113 appearances in all competitions during his three seasons with Alaves, including a personal record 14 La Liga goals in 2021/22 as the club suffered relegation. But the 32-year-old is staying in the first division as he moves to Espanyol, where he can partner with the prolific Raul de Tomas in a front-two.

JUNE 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Brian Olivan - Transfers to Espanyol Olivan has signed a three-year contract with Espanyol after transferring from Mallorca, the club announced Tuesday.

Impact Olivan made 24 La Liga starts last season for Mallorca, and the 28-year-old now moves to Espanyol where he will challenge Adria Pedrosa for the starting left back spot, or he could potentially play in central defense as well.

JUNE 21, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Keidi Bare - Ends season injured Bare ended the season with a knee strain after starting 18 league matches and appearing in 25 of them.

Impact Bare was a decent contributor to the Espanyol squad recording 18 start, though playing as a defensive midfielder resulted in just one goal and one assist. He should recover over the summer from the injury which cost him the final month and assuming he's fit, he should be in that same role again next season.

JUNE 12, 2022 • ROTOWIRE