Is there any hope for Getafe?

Enrique Cerezo has never been one to shy away from a microphone nor make strange or outrageous statements. The Atletico Madrid President once claimed that everyone at a football club was for sale, including himself. As he said it, onlookers chuckled and put it down to another Cerezo gaff. But, recent events down the road at Getafe may just prove that Cerezo had a point as the club sold a key member of the club to Guangzhou R&F – someone from the bench.

The team from the suburbs of Madrid found that the reported €4m offer to take someone off their hands was too good to be true. A quick look at Getafe’s playing squad and one may wonder who would be even worth that fee but it wasn’t the pitch that the Chinese outfit were looking at, it was the bench, and Coach Cosmin Contra last weekend said goodbye to the club that he saved from relegation.

Contra was appointed towards the end of last season with the objective of keeping Getafe in the top flight. He did so successfully and then set about building a squad on a very limited budget. Goalkeeper Miguel Moya, possibly the biggest name in the squad, was sold to city rivals Atletico and the club was forced to sign free transfers and loan deals. Still, and despite the presence of [French midfielder Abdoul] Yoda, there was no balance at the club. Balance on the financial side of things, that is.

The offer for Contra would see the club pay off its debts and actually leave some funds for the Romanian’s successor to use in the winter transfer window. Angel Torres, Getafe’s President, may be as hilarious as Cerezo when there is a microphone in front of him but there is one major difference between the two: Torres can’t stand debt.

The Getafe chief is famous for his strong stance on debts being paid and the club’s accounts being balanced. It is for that reason he knew that he could not ignore the offer on the table from Guangzhou R&F and so Contra was encouraged to go, even if he didn’t want to.

“I'm in no way happy with my move to China as I don't want to leave,” Contra said. “The club has offloaded me because it's in a tough situation, and without the money from my move, it might not make it through the next few months. Getafe have never made this much money from losing a Coach.

“I felt it was best and that moving to China would help the club a great deal, so I decided to leave, despite not being happy with the move,” the former defender added before his last game in charge against Rayo Vallecano last Sunday.

Yet, there was no official confirmation of the Coach moving until after that game when Torres made his way to the pressroom to confirm that he had more or less, sold his Coach. Torres then said that the club had no choice in doing so but is this really true?

Tickets for the Madrid derby against Rayo Vallecano were on sale before Christmas and the club launched a campaign to get bums on seats. Only problem was the campaign didn’t see prices reduced. The cheapest ticket was €30 and that was behind one of the goals. Some at the club claimed that with it being Christmas, football fans in general were inclined to stay away from football but whilst Getafe played in front of 6,000, up the road in Madrid, 40,000 fans greeted the return of Fernando Torres, which dismisses this argument.

The club had hoped that it would sell tickets against Rayo on the day of the game but it seems that the club have turned fans off from doing this by their actions in the past. Some people who have tried to buy tickets before kick-off previously, have been told that the only tickets available are ones for €50, only to discover when they get in that there are plenty of empty spaces in cheaper areas. As other clubs in La Liga reduce prices and offer special deals, Getafe seem to be out of touch with reality but are things starting to change?

Recent statistics related to attendances in La Liga show Getafe are bottom and by a long way. Rayo have surpassed them and in another suburb, Leganes are gaining ground. Relegation would almost certainly kill the club and so Torres knew he needed to sign someone with experience and also with some charisma, so he turned to Quique Sanchez Flores. The former Valencia and Atletico Coach returns to the club a decade after he led them for the first time in the top flight.

Flores is known for his charm and his ability to win over fans. It looks like it could prove to be a masterstroke from Torres and could be something that sees the club’s image improve. Let’s face it, it’s long overdue. 

La Liga - Club News