Major reconstruction underway
Sevilla set about recharging their squad for the 2013/14 season with several changes taking place at Rámon Sánchez Pizjuán recently and the promise of more to come.
A long list of players located the exit door swiftly after the end of last season, including some important members of the side. Speculation surrounds many of the other squad members, with prize asset Álvaro Negredo apparently on his way shortly.
Head coach Unai Emery has his work cut out during the summer to put together a team from the broken fragments of last year's line-up.
Outgoings already confirmed include Bernardo Espinosa and Andrés Palop on free transfers, Emir Spahic and Antonio Luna returning from loans before completing permanent moves elsewhere and more important squad members in the form of Luis Alberto to Liverpool and star winger Jesús Navas to Manchester City in a mega-money deal. The loss of Spanish international Navas will leave the biggest void thus far, with the task of replacing his jinking runs and crossing ability providing Emery with a huge headache.
Incoming players who've signed up feature goalkeeper Beto from Braga, following on from a season-loan in Seville last season, Steaua forward Rusescu, Racing Santander right-winger Jairo and Chelsea's German left-winger Marko Marin on loan. The new introductions may not be up to the level of footballer that Sevilla have lost and the club will have to push harder in the transfer market to make sure that they don't begin taking steps in a backward direction. Los Rojiblancos finished a disappointing ninth in La Liga last time around; the loss of Navas and potentially Negredo would be devastating to a team in desperate need of an injection of quality.
English Premier League heavyweights Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester City and Everton have been credited with a strong interest in 31-goal striker Negredo, while the Sevilla club president José Maria del Nido admitted that his most saleable asset wants out earlier this week. Having just experienced his most successful season date, now is the optimum time for the Spain striker to move on. He'd leave behind a massive hole in the forward line that the Andalusians would find mighty difficult to fill.
It's an uncertain time for fans of Sevilla and there will be serious concerns at all levels of the club as to their chances of improving on a disappointing 2012/13 campaign. Coach Emery will hope any influx of cash from the probable sale of Negredo will come his way for team strengthening, otherwise it's going to be an impossible task to put Sevilla back in contention for a Champions League qualifying spot next term.
Ninth place was nowhere near good enough and the faithful supporters won't be happy with the current upheaval. They'll expect two or three marquee signings to supplement a squad suffering from serious depletion and nothing less will do.
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