From Tomás, at the starting point

“In Portugal I have not been well, I have lost part of my essence, but with just one day of being here I have already recovered everything I had lost in six months. “In his presentation as a Espanyol player until 2026, on January 9, Raúl de Tomás gave one of the keys to his performance. Find its habitat.

He had not achieved it at Benfica, but he did from the start a Espanyol that created the most suitable environment for him to once again exploit his specialty: scoring goals. Today everything returns to the starting point, to the starting box, even in the sense that at any moment an offer may appear that precipitates a new professional turn.

Eight months after landing, RdT seems to have misplaced the essence again. The one that led him to count by goals their first five matches with the Espanyol shirt. At the rate of one every 77 minutes. To fill his self-esteem and to restore faith to a parakeet that conformed to his game, to his quality. But everything stopped against Mallorca, on February 9. Annoyances came and doubts reappeared. The pandemic has just broken the spell.

De Tomás did not score again in the resumption, suffering from an endless tendonitis in the left knee that is the cause of many of his problems – goal and market –, nor for now in the premiere of Espanyol in Second.

Neither against Albacete nor in the reunion with Mallorca saw the door. Barely a shot from outside the area and 11 good passes in 84 minutes, last Sunday in front of the vermilion, in addition to visible gestures to the referee, rivals and a teammate for feeling the object of a foul or for not receiving assistance. Protests or recriminations that, like everything else, go unnoticed when the results accompany, burn if the thing goes wrong.

From more to less, as up to now in his parakeet tour, it was his participation the last day in a meeting that had begun by pressing very high, courageous. Lives too far from the area and cannot find partnerships. Vicente Moreno defended him in the press room, how could it be otherwise. Espanyol does trust him blindly, unless an irresistible offer for all parties indicate otherwise.

Accumulates a striker like the Madrid-born – who has cost Espanyol 22.5 million and who aspired to play the European Championship before the suspension of LaLiga – a whopping 12 games, 875 minutes played, without scoring a single goal. Six has scored since Real Madrid transferred him to Benfica in August 2019, for the 14 as a contrast he made the previous season at Rayo Vallecano.

This Logically in time Raúl de Tomás to recover his best level. To associate more and better, even if it is many meters from the rival goal, as he successfully demonstrated that he knew how to do wonderfully before the state of alarm. Before your tendonitis. And of thrashing, his natural status. The great unknown is if he will do it at Espanyol. If you will receive any satisfactory offer for all parties. If it will continue in Second. And if you will be motivated. With its essence oozing to the fullest.