Sports Then and Now

The 2019-2020 La Liga season started with great expectations for Real Betis, the Seville club which had gone through major changes. Despite managing to get through the UEFA Europe League group stages, finishing on the 10^th spot in the domestic league had not been satisfying for the management.

As a result, Quique Setien had been sacked and the Espanyol coach Rubi had been handled the task of improving the team’s performance. Just recently, the club a major sponsorship contract with easyMarkets, which means financial instability may be a problem solved. With a few players already left, let’s see what are the figures able to push Betis higher in the rankings.

Nabil Fekir

Joining Real Betis from Lyon in £17.7 million deal, Nabil Fekir is the attacking midfielder which will need to handle the offensive side of the team for the next few seasons. The contract was signed for the next five years and expectations around the player are high. A year ago, the Premier League team Liverpool wanted to sign the 26-years old French World Cup winner, but eventually negotiations collapsed. Raised in the Lyon academy, Fekir had played almost 200 games in the French league and managed to score 69 goals. According to a Real Betis statement, “With the arrival of Fekir, Real Betis acquire creativity, great technique, shooting ability and attacking edge.”

Alfonso Pedraza

Although not a complete transfer, Alfonso Pedraza had been brought on a one-year loan from Villareal. Betis will have to pay between €500,000 and €1 million depending on the objectives, with the ability to buy him next summer for a deal that could reach €10-14 million. The left-sided player is expected to be the perfect replacement for Junior Firpo, who left the club in order to join FC Barcelona.

Cristian Tello

The 28-years old winger joined Betis in 2017, managing to score 8 goals in 61 matches. A former Barcelona player between 2011-2017, he had to spend three years on loans to FC Porto and Fiorentina, respectively. Highly experienced in important matches, Cristian Tello is expected to remain one of the team’s key players, even though his shape is not as it was several years ago. Under the leadership of the new coach Rubi, he may reach his true potential in the current season, which could end positively for Betis, given all the efforts made by the team during the summer.