2008-09 Transfer Report Card: How Good Were Valencia's Signings?

Valencia are one of the Primera Division's biggest clubs, but the turmoil of last term and then the summer has continued into the current season and has meant that any new signings have had to settle into what has become an unsettled outfit.

Ronald Koeman oversaw the majority of a disastrous league campaign, assuaged only by winning the Copa del Rey, before the boardroom antics in the summer made changing and rebuilding in the summer equally traumatic for a club that looks set to go through it all again this season.

Presidents came and went, while promises of sorting out the huge debts from one impresario were quickly followed by a more pragmatic warning from his successor that things would not be easy.

Unai Emery was introduced as the new coach and was not told he should win trophies openly, but the feeling was that if he could keep the team in the major competitions then it would paper over the cracks behind the scenes.

Amongst all the chaos and reports of huge figures being owed to banks and various institutions, only a few signings were actually made with the club instead believing that retaining the services of the players that they had was the priority.

David Villa and David Silva starred in Spain's European Championships triumph and their stock rose dramatically as rumours and links were made to the majority of the continent’s major clubs, but los Che worked extremely hard to keep them.

Knowing that there would be no headline-making signing, the directors worked very smartly and sold the idea of retaining Villa and Silva, as well as the much-maligned Joaquin, as the success upon which Valencia's season could be built.

Added to that the return of several first-team players outcast and loaned by Koeman meant that Emery would have a decent squad to begin his first season at the helm with David Albelda's reintroduction after being outcast being a huge boost for the squad.

Asier del Horno returned after a year back with Athletic Club de Bilbao, Curro Torres returned from Murcia, Hugo Viana went back from Osasuna and, perhaps most importantly, Manuel Fernandes was back from Everton.

Given that a huge number of players had been loaned out and were then either allowed to join the same club permanently or sold on again, like Mario Regueiro, Sisi and Ludovic Butelle, the club secretary certainly had a busy time of things.

IN

Summer 2008

Unai Emery - manager (Almeria), Del Horno (Athletic Bilbao - loan period ended), Curro Torres (Murcia - loan period ended), Manuel Fernandes (Everton - loan period ended), Hugo Viana (Osasuna - loan period ended), Renan (Internacional Porto Alegre)

January 2009

Carleto (Santos), Cesar (Tottenham Hotspur), Pablo Hernandez (Getafe - buy back option exercised)

OUT

Summer 2008

Montoro, Lillo (Murcia - one year loan) Caneira (Sporting Lisbon) Sunny (Osasuna - one year loan) Jordi Alba (Gimnastic - one year loan) Arizmendi (Zaragoza) Mora (Levante) Canizares (retiring) Banega (Atletico Madrid - one year loan) Hildebrand (Stuttgart)

January 2009

Ivan Helguera (contract rescinded) Zigic (Racing Santander - loan to end of season)

Unai Emery: B+

Renowned for his tactical knowledge and ability to transmit his ideas to players, the 37-year-old trainer was given the task of steadying a very rocky ship after impressing over two seasons with Almeria, with whom he won promotion and then defied the odds by keeping them up. Breeding confidence was his first job and in the early weeks of the campaign he appeared to have the magic touch as los Che recorded some very impressive results. The financial problems had been kept quiet for a while, but once they began to make headlines once more, the team appeared to be affected by all the talk and things came to a head when the club held back part of the players' wages as construction on the new stadium ground to a halt. Amid all this, Emery has done a superb job to keep spirits high and if and when the club can come out on the other side then they will have a coach on their hands who can lead them back to the top.

Renan Brito: B

Valencia have rarely had trouble with goalkeepers before, but that was until Koeman took umbridge with a clique of veteran players at Mestalla and froze them out. Among those made persona non grata was Santiago Cañizares. Having already had a spat with Timo Hildebrand, the former Spain international custodian left the club and his absence unsettled the defence. Hildebrand brooded and sulked when things did not go well for him and he was allowed to leave on a free transfer in the summer as the club sought to start afresh with a newcomer. Their search took them to South America where Renan's performances for Internacional were seen as impressive enough for him to be approached and signed by Valencia. While not making many headlines, the 24-year-old has shown that with experience he will become the steady influence that the team needs behind them as he rarely makes mistakes.

Pablo Hernández: C

Having reviewed the whole squad in the summer Emery asked the board to activate the 23-year-old midfielder's buy-back clause and re-sign him from Getafe to bolster Valencia's options down the right. Paying a modest €1 million for a player that they had sold a year earlier to Los Azulones, the move marked a change in tactics from the new boss as he wanted players who knew the club to return and help rebuild the desire that was missing. Pablo saw the transfer as a step up and looked to take his chances when they came along. Playing with some regularity, his performances for the team have been sometimes of the highest quality, while in other matches he has disappeared. An equaliser against Recreativo in mid-March was only his third goal in all competitions in a campaign that has seen him appear in 26 matches and play nearly 1500 minutes of football. His tenacity and guile have proven to be assets when he uses them, but if he wants to fulfil his potential, and the faith shown in him by Emery, then he will need to show them regularly.

Cesar Sanchez: B+

When Renan tore his thigh muscle and was ruled out for at least two months, Valencia had to look around for a quick fix. With little or no money to spend, Emery wisely went for experience over a young loanee and made an approach to Tottenham Hotspur to take Cesar back to Spanish football after he had sat on the north Londoners' bench for the majority of his six month stay. With Spurs agreeing to cancel his contract, Valencia had themselves a free signing and a mentor for their young Brazilian custodian. Few believed that the situation would be much different at Mestalla when Renan was declared fit, but instead Cesar has become a regular in the team and has retained his place even after his rival for the position was given the green light to start playing again. The 37-year-old is showing the form that made him a firm favourite during three years with Real Zaragoza as he has kept Valencia in matches that they were on the verge of losing. He has brought confidence and passion to a squad that was lacking some bite and is the best signing the club have made.

Thiago Carleto: D

The young Brazilian was clearly brought to the club as one for the future and Emery has no intention of putting him straight into the side ahead of first-team regulars and exposing him. The 19-year-old left-back joined in January, just under two years since he made his first-team debut for Santos, and will be given plenty of time to settle in his new surroundings. Penning a six-year deal, Carleto will have time to learn from Emiliano Moretti and Asier del Horno, the two players who are currently vying each week to fill the left-back spot that the youngster will one day hope to make his own. Emery has allowed him to discover what life is like at the top, however, as he made his first team debut when coming off the bench during the game against Malaga on Valentine's Day. Nothing much can be garnered from that one appearance, so marking a D is a neutral point really as the jury is clearly still out and probably will be until he is able to have a regular run in the team.

FINAL GRADE: B

Valencia did not have much to work with, but Emery knew the positions that he wanted to strengthen and he and the club have done well to fill those without wasting whatever money was left in the summer. While the goalkeeping problem is now solved, the return of Pablo, along with several players who spent last month on loan has also been wise, and the coach has been able to show that he can identify and attract young talent in Carleto. But perhaps Valencia's best signing was in fact the trainer himself as Emery's stock has remained very much intact despite some poor results and some frustration being shown from the fans. Finishing in a UEFA Cup place this term will be seen as an achievement and then a summer of change awaits with Villa and Silva both likely to leave and the club's financial position being revealed.

Lucas Brown, Goal.com