“There are few players like that“he reluctantly acknowledged Jordi Lardin, when in July 2017 he was asked in public for Beautiful mario. It is not that the then sports director of Espanyol wanted to save praise for the central defender, who had just played in Segunda B with Real Madrid Castilla. It is that he preferred to wear it with discretion. And his reasons had. Just two weeks later, the perico club would end up signing the central for 400,000 euros, a ridiculous amount for half of your rights.
LaLiga Santander
* Data updated as of September 10, 2021
The Hermoso operation was extraordinary, practically insurmountable for Espanyol, who two summers later, in July 2019, he transferred him to Atlético de Madrid for 25 million. The highest sale in blue and white history, until shortly after Betis paid the 28 million of the Borja Iglesias clause, although for those rights shared by Real Madrid to Cornellà-El Prat 'only' 12.5 million arrived. In any case, the miracle of the loaves and fishes for a signing in which the coach on duty had not believed, Quique Sánchez Flores, but that by dint of quality and –especially– blind self-esteem, it would end up being decisive –this yes, already with another coach, Joan Francesc Ferrer 'Rubi'– in the return of Espanyol to Europe after 12 years of absence.
Not every day is achieved multiply by 31 the return on an investment in 24 months. In fact, it is an exception. In the case of Espanyol, you just have to see it. Since that July 2019, that is, for 26 months, the entity has allocated close to 18 million already to reinforce that central demarcation. Eight went to Fernando Calero, another ex from Valladolid, as a replacement for Hermoso himself. Nine plus, the full amount of its clause was paid the following January to Getafe for Leandro Cabrera, in a team that made waters on the way to descent. And something less than one million have paid this summer to Sevilla for Sergi gomez, after returning to First.
Leandro Cabrera and Fernando Calero.
Gorka Leiza (Diario AS)
Beyond his performance, which until now only in the case of Cabrera has responded to expectations – undisputed starter and one of the captains since his second semester in the squad -, It seems unimaginable to think that Espanyol could not multiply the investment in the future, but even recover it, either because of age or because of the high price that was assumed, both in purchases and in emoluments.
Héctor Moreno and Álvaro, the forerunners
The Hermoso formula has become clearly dysfunctional in a Espanyol that in the last decade it had already been stockpiling power plants –Despite being one of the demarcations that historically stood out the most in the quarry–, but the accounts between expenditure and income came out.
Before the current Atlético player, He had transferred Héctor Moreno to PSV Eindhoven for five million and Álvaro González, to Villarreal for four, nine million in total, while since 2011 had paid 7.25, between Moreno himself (2.50 it cost him to sign him from AZ Alkmaar), Álvaro (1.1 at Real Zaragoza), Óscar Duarte (1.15 at Brujas) and Naldo Gomes (2.50 at Krasnodar). And that is not counted here the departure of Eric Bailly to Villarreal, for 5.7 million in 2015, because it is a youth squad.
Héctor Moreno and Álvaro González.
CARLOS MIRA (DAILY AS)
Espanyol has arrived to hire 15 plants in the last decade, most free of charge –Diego Colotto, Sidnei Rechel, Enzo Roco, Diego Reyes, Martín Demichelis or Sergio Sánchez–, and with the key, even Hermoso, that those that involved an investment could be revalued. Perhaps once the club is settled again in the First Division, certain formulas can be met again.