Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Gimnàstic they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Aitor Gelardo and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad29 Jul 2030
Carl Starfelt falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Gimnàstic asked and Málaga said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
The most common injury in the game and the most rushed back from. Gimnàstic will quote 14 days and will be careful with it, because the second one is always worse than the first.
Aitor Gelardo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Gimnàstic asked and Sevilla said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sergio Camus was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I watch every Gimnàstic game from here. That says everything about where my head is.” The loan at Rayo Vallecano runs its course, but his heart never made the trip.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Gimnàstic, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Nobody will confirm it and the team sheets confirm it every week. One error has bought him a spell as second choice that is already longer than the error deserved.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Gimnàstic can pretend not to have heard.
The offer from Granada for Dani Rebollo was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Villarreal is saying, and nobody at Gimnàstic is enjoying the guessing.
Valentin Pereyra and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Leeds United have kept their man, and Gimnàstic go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad27 Aug 2029
Words at Gimnàstic training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sergio Camus is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
13 signings in three months. Every one of them may be an upgrade and the team can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild that never appears in the transfer-window verdicts.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Gimnàstic can pretend not to have heard.
Gimnàstic moved before anybody else could: a new deal for Ibai Pérez, agreed quietly and announced loudly. Boards extend managers for many reasons; the good one is the one this looks like.
Valentin Pereyra was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom20 Aug 2029
5 academy players handed senior numbers at Gimnàstic
The morning the pathway stops being a brochure and becomes a team sheet. Most of them will not be here in three years; all of them have already done the hard part, which was getting to today.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Real Madrid have kept their man, and Gimnàstic go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Everyone has stopped pretending: Racing Genk will make the call about Gorka Guruzeta this week. Gimnàstic have a number in mind, and the number is not shy.
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Carlos Rojas has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
In brief
BoardroomA promise the Gimnàstic board did not keep
SquadWords at Gimnàstic training over how hard people work
Transfer targetsA loan move for Lucas Robertone is in the works
The name of Sergio Santos has come up in conversations Gimnàstic were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
The demotion a club never announces and a dressing room always notices. Gorka Guruzeta is further from the side than he was, and the reason will not be given until he asks.
Squad6 Aug 2029
Sergio Camus falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Gimnàstic have made the call to Leeds United. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Gimnàstic have made the call to Leicester City. No fee, a share of the wages, and a spare shirt in the position where the squad has been thinnest all season.
Valentin Pereyra and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The offer went to Almería this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Osasuna have kept their man, and Gimnàstic go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad30 Jul 2029
Words at Gimnàstic training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sergio Camus is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
12 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.
A season-long audition: Alavés still own him, but the shirt and the minutes are Gimnàstic's to give. A loan is a bet both clubs believe they are winning.
The offer from Slovan Bratislava for Sergio Santos was heard out and sent back the same day. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loudly the door closes.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Atlético Madrid have kept their man, and Gimnàstic go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
The name of Valentin Pereyra has come up in conversations Gimnàstic were not part of. Nothing formal, nothing signed — but nothing about it accidental either.
The number the board signed off was not enough. It has been asked again and raised its own offer to $1.4M — a club that wants Rafa De Palmas enough to be asked twice.
Aitor Gelardo and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad16 Jul 2029
Words at Gimnàstic training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sergio Camus is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
The system has changed and his position has not. A footballer can improve his form; he cannot improve the manager’s formation, and that is the whole of the problem.
The phone has started ringing about Sergio Santos again, and this time the name on the line is Slovan Bratislava. Gimnàstic are listening politely and promising nothing.
The deal with Villarreal is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Gimnàstic offered $560.0K; Huesca said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
Aitor Gelardo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Atlético Madrid have kept their man, and Gimnàstic go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Nothing happens for months and then he simply arrives, at no cost, having signed a pre-contract while still turning out for somebody else. It is the least dramatic way to sign a footballer and frequently the shrewdest.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sergio Camus was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“Some decisions take a long time. This one took ten minutes, and most of that was finding a pen.” Siyabonga Mkhize and Gimnàstic agree another 3 years.
The last thing about a transfer that is still about the player is his signature on his own terms, and it is there. Gimnàstic have lost him in all but the paperwork.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Gimnàstic, and it is not being withdrawn.
$650.0K was the most the club would pay and Betis were asking for more. Deals like this are revived in the last week of a window roughly half the time, and everybody involved knows it.
Footballers are asked about their boyhood club so often that nobody listens to the answer. Siyabonga Mkhize has just signed for Gimnàstic, and for once the answer mattered.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Gimnàstic this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Gimnàstic asked and Mirandés said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Gimnàstic have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Gimnàstic have gone to Tenerife with a bid, and the supporters have gone to the internet with an opinion about it. Whether either changes anything is up to the selling club.
Gimnàstic offered $45.0K; Sevilla said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
The phone has started ringing about Marc Bombardó again, and this time the name on the line is Juventud Torremolinos. Gimnàstic are listening politely and promising nothing.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Tenerife have kept their man, and Gimnàstic go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
Squad25 Jun 2029
Words at Gimnàstic training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sergio Camus is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Gimnàstic, and it is not being withdrawn.
Everything agreed with Deportivo La Coruña, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
The number the board signed off was not enough. It has been asked again and raised its own offer to $915.7K — a club that wants Samuele di Benedetto enough to be asked twice.
Gimnàstic offered $830.0K; Gijón said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Gimnàstic this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Gimnàstic asked and CE Europa said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
Squad18 Jun 2029
Sergio Camus falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
$300.0K on the table at Arenteiro. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
$560.0K was the most the club would pay and Albacete were asking for more. Deals like this are revived in the last week of a window roughly half the time, and everybody involved knows it.
Every footballer has an answer to the question about his boyhood club, and most of them never get to act on it. Davit Motskobili has, at Gimnàstic, and the first month will show what that does to a man.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Gimnàstic this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Add another name to the list: Tarazona have asked the question everybody in the game has been asking about Marc Bombardó. The answer from Gimnàstic has not changed — yet.
Nothing happens for months and then he simply arrives, at no cost, having signed a pre-contract while still turning out for somebody else. It is the least dramatic way to sign a footballer and frequently the shrewdest.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Gimnàstic have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Aitor Gelardo was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
A month is long enough that nobody gets in by accident. Álvaro García is in the division's best eleven for it, which is a quieter compliment than an award and a more reliable one.
There were 87 minutes on the clock and Burgos had all but banked the point. Football rarely reads the room, and Gimnàstic did not stop to explain themselves.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Gimnàstic this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
He found out with everybody else, an hour before kick-off, from a sheet of paper on a wall. Nobody at Gimnàstic pretended it was anything other than a decision about him.
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 1‑1 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Gimnàstic can pretend not to have heard.
The general version of this complaint is that a player wants more. The specific version names the thing: he wants to walk out under floodlights against clubs from other countries, and he has stopped pretending otherwise.
Clubs make promises constantly and the page usually only hears about them when they are broken. This one was honoured, and the dressing room noticed that faster than any supporter did.
“There are things I liked and things we will be doing on Tuesday until they are right.” 0‑0, and a manager who had already decided what Tuesday looked like.
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Gimnàstic can pretend not to have heard.
200 games in this shirt, through managers and relegations and everything else. Service like it is disappearing from the game and the crowd knows what it is watching.
“It is not the end of the world and it is not good enough. Both of those are true.” The manager, after a 0‑0 draw, said the honest thing and then went to say it again inside.
There is no complaint available here and everybody involved knows it, which does not make the walk to the bench any shorter. Form is the only currency in football that cannot be borrowed against.
Ninety minutes, no goals, and the argument started before the car park emptied: a point gained, or two thrown away against Andorra? Both sides of it will still be going on Thursday.
Córdoba next, and one man in the Gimnàstic dressing room knows their training ground better than his own. The reception will tell him what they thought of him.