In: Luis Suarez (Olympique Marseille), Edgar Gonzalez (Real Betis), Marc Pubill (Levante), Dion Lopy (Stade Reims), Sergio Arribas (Real Madrid), Iddrisu Baba (loan, Real Mallorca)
Loan Returns: Gui Guedes (Lugo), Arvin Appiah (Malaga)
Out: Francisco Portillo (free), Cesar de la Hoz (free, Real Valladolid), Nikola Maras (Alaves), El Bilal Toure (Atalanta), Cristian Olivera (LAFC), Samu Costa (Real Mallorca), Rodrigo Ely (Gremio), Arnau Sola (loan, Cartagena), Ivan Martos (free, Huesca), Dyego Sousa (free)
Summary so far: Sealing the signing of Luis Suarez is a good deal, as he became a nuisance and an effective leader of the line towards the end of the season. He is the big addition so far by proxy, even if he was already there. El Bilal Toure was equally good in stages, but unreliable in terms of injuries. They may want more another guarantee of goals if he goes – it depends on what formation newcomer Vicente Moreno favours, and whether they feel Vinicius Lazaro will keep improving in that regard.
Almeria have a relatively deep squad, but they will be looking for a little more differential quality next season to keep opposition defenders honest. Leo Baptistao is much-loved, and very hard-working, but it would be no surprise if they wanted to give his minutes to someone relying a little less on hustle and know-how.
Edgar Gonzalez addition looks very shrewd on paper. Aged 24, capable of playing at the back or in midfield, Edgar performed well for the most part for Betis, and in a different financial situation, they might have kept him.
It has been a busy lead up to the La Liga kick-off for Almeria, which saw them make a number of moves. Stalwarts of their promotion season Rodrigo Ely, Dyego Sousa and Samu Costa have all left. The latter will be missed most, but Lopy’s and Baba should cover that hole, and the former can be part of perhaps a more ambitious midfield.
Pubill is a strong long-term signing and his presence will help raise the level of Houboulang Mendes. Arribas also looks like a very smart pick-up. Jewel of Real Madrid Castilla last season, he should provide the creative spark Moreno will need behind a more agricultural worker in Suarez.
Key Need: Robertone was impressive with 7 assists, Gonzalo Melero had moments, Baptistao and Adrian Embarba made useful contributions too. Yet nobody surpassed 7 goals either. It appears Suarez will be their main forward having invested €8.5m in him, so a winger or second forward with major goal threat must be the priority. Not many sides survive without someone hitting double figures, and while Toure was injured at times, and Suarez played just half a season, more goal threat is a must. That will make the rest of the side much smoother, attracting attention from the defence, and creating space for others to thrive.
Toure has left for Atalanta, while Ibrahima Kone could come in from Lorient. Arribas is a strong signing, but is jumping from the third tier to Primera, and relying on him for double-figures would be rather presumptious, even if he has the talent. If they can repeat the trick again, bringing in a functional replacement, it would be remarkable. However you fear that if they do miss on one, they could struggle as much as last season, despite investing more in their squad.
Beneath the Surface: Almeria had the third-worst defence in La Liga last season, and between Srdjan Babic, Chumi and Kaiky are a passable stable of central defenders. Hence why the signing of Edgar makes so much sense. While he has not had masses of games in La Liga, he does also have experience in Europe, and is both comfortable on the ball and capable of being physical. This need has been addressed.
Arribas helps fill or compete for one of the three positions behind Suarez in the 4-2-3-1 Moreno used in their first game against Rayo Vallecano, which probably covers them there too. Almeria to their credit have been addressing needs, thus we would take a look at the goalkeeping position. Fernando Martinez did not convince last season, bizarrely Fernando Pacheco wasn’t trusted, and Diego Marino, at 33, is yet to have a full season as a La Liga number one. That does not mean he cannot do the job, but it does suggest that 13 years into his senior career, nobody else has trusted him to do so.
