After a week when teenage darts sensation Luke Littler’s dad explained his son’s meteoric rise to fame – “Most fathers dutifully stand on rainy touchlines cheering on their offspring to sporting success, I just took Luke down the pub!” – Real Mallorca announced on Monday that 46-year-old Jagoba Arrasate had signed a contract that will link him to the club for the next three seasons.
After some delay since first announcing his appointment, the Palma club has finally made it official that the Berriatua-born coach will be presented to the local media next Tuesday, June 18, at 12 midday in the Son Moix. He becomes the tenth Euskadi coach to sit on the Mallorca bench. Arrasate has plenty of experience and commands respect both as a person and for his impressive CV.
The new coach has a big job to do on the Son Bibiloni training ground as our present squad needs to improve and several new signings are expected to raise the level. With the club now consolidated in top flight Spanish football, it’s necessary to get Mallorca settling into the top ten of La Liga, and well away from that horrible end of season sinking feeling!
Arrasate leaves his previous club Osasuna after a successful six-year spell in Pamplona where he finished first in La Segunda, before a run in La Liga of 10th, 11th, 10th, 7th and 11th, as well as a cup final last year and a place in both the Spanish Super Cup and the European Conference League.
The announcement of his official signing was made remotely because club CEO Alfonso Diaz and captains Antonio Raillo and Abdon Prats were in Japan visiting their main shirt sponsor GEL TAICA.
Asked why he chose Real Mallorca, Arrasate said “I think Mallorca is an emerging club. The last few years have shown the team has the ability to stay in La Liga.” He also said the financial stability of the club was important “Institutionally everything looks good and the increase in the fan base over recent years shows the club are moving in the right direction.” He went on “My family and I have been coming to Mallorca every Summer for some years and for sure we are all looking forward to moving to this lovely island.”
Arrasate’s team style favours the 4-3-3 system which he used with great success at Osasuna and it’s likely we’ll see it here next season. He believes that system will get the most out of a squad which will see the arrival of two “old-fashioned” wingers. One of his major jobs will be to try and resurrect the career of Canadian striker Cyle Larin who’s been more than disappointing after his 8 million euro transfer from Valladolid last Summer. Larin has been playing for his country over the past couple of weeks.
In a friendly against Netherlands he missed an open goal and then last Sunday against France he was taken off after 70 minutes. Another big challenge for the new coach is Sergi Darder who finally in the last couple of games of the season showed the kind of form expected of him. With the 4-3-3 system there is no midfielder so it should be interesting to see how Darder and Morlanes fit in the scheme of things.
As mentioned last week, the Spanish transfer window doesn’t open until the end of June. However, that doesn’t mean that sporting director Pablo Ortells hasn’t been idle. Several players have been mentioned in dispatches. First up is the Colombian left back Johan Mojica from Villareal. He seems to be surplus to requirements at La Ceramica after he spent last season on loan at Arrasate’s Osasuna. A price of 1.5 million euros has been mentioned and Mojica is more than willing to play under our new coach. With Binissalem’s Javi Llabres being our only pure and simple winger, another option down the flanks is the 26-year-old Ivorian international Christian Kouame from Italian side Fiorentina. There’s been no formal offer for the player from Mallorca but Kouame’s name is one of several on the table and it’s a case of wait and see!
AND FINALLY
The Guardian columnist Sid Lowe, who’s based in Madrid, has been giving out his annual Sid Awards for the season just gone and here are three of them: The “Happiest Family” award went to the Del Nido’s at Sevilla. There are two power blocks at the club and both parties are literally at each other’s throats as they pull the once great Sevilla FC into the mire. One is led by Jose Maria del Nido Carrasco, the club president. The other is led by Jose Maria del Nido Benavente, the former president and jailbird. These two are son and father and at the club’s AGM the former called the latter “anti-Sevillista” so the latter called the former a “piece of sh**” and spat out “I paid your season ticket for over 30 years!”
The “Stupidest Fans” award went to Barcelona supporters chucking bottles and stones at the team bus, the BARCELONA team bus!! The “Best Mind Games” award went to our very own Real Mallorca whose players hugged each other, leaping about laughing and celebrating BEFORE the penalty shoot out against Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey semifinal. It worked a treat, Mallorca won 5-4 on penalties!