If the movement is demonstrated by walking, Espanyol has in Javi Puado –Aspiring to Olympic medalist, debutant in the Absolute and recently renewed– to its maximum exponent current. To a mirror to look at. And count on Nico Melamed, seated, with another example. Not to mention the David López, Sergi Darder, Óscar Melendo, Adrià Pedrosa, Dídac VIlà… Or from Pol Lozano and Víctor Gómez, between opportunities outside to succeed here. A quarry club is only giving the alternative –and minutes– to many homegrown players. And this is the case again the fifth of La Quinta.
By La Quinta Football Fields, the training camp where Espanyol has trained for the last two weeks, a significant number of base players have passed. Of the recently christened Elite Group by the sports direction of Francisco Joaquín Pérez Rufete and the coordination of Luis Vicente Mateo. Until nine homegrown players have worked, and have even played in friendlies against Las Palmas, Rayo Vallecano, Granada and Cádiz, under the orders of Vicente Moreno and Dani Pendín. Among all, they average an age of only 19 years, close to the average that Espanyol B.
That is just the age that appears on the ID of Gregorio Garcia 'Gori'Perhaps the great pearl that is about to open in the quarry. The midfielder already had minutes a year ago in the same place, the Marbella Football Center, has now repeated with the team already in the First Division and was even called up in Second Division matches, against Castellón, Ponferradina and Alcorcón.
Gori, in the gym at La Quinta.
Carlos Mira (RCDE)
In that same match, the one that closed LaLiga Smartbank and gave the title of champions to the parrots, was the starter Omar El Hilali, right-handed winger of only 17 years old. Another bet for the future in an overcrowded position. And also on the bench in Santo Domingo he sat Nabil Touaizi, 20-year-old forward who in September 2020 joined the subsidiary from none other than Manchester City.
Although, for matches called the previous season in the Second Division, those of Angel Fortuño, 19 years old, and those of Joan Garcia, 20 and starting in the friendlies on Tuesday against Granada and on Friday against Cádiz, which gives clues that the latter will continue a priori as third goalkeeper this course, in LaLiga Santander, while the first would be debated between the Second RFEF, with the subsidiary, or a transfer to add minutes and baggage in a higher-class team.
Who has already shown his skills in professional football, since he had minutes and took advantage of them with Vicente Moreno against Oviedo, Mirandés and Málaga, is a Jofre Carreras, 20 years old, who in March had to stop his progression to undergo surgery for a chronic knee injury that, once overcome, should allow him to enter the team's plans, also in the First Division.
Aleix Gorjón, Nabil. Alejandro Pérez and Antoniu Roca.
Carlos Mira (RCDE)
And during these two weeks, three less frequent homegrown players have shown their credentials so far with the first team, but whom Moreno and his coaching staff have followed closely: the central defender Aleix Gorjon, 18 years old and from the Youth, same age and team as the winger Antoniu Roca, and the 20-year-old midfielder Alexander perez.
To the fifth of the Fifth they could be added, and in fact they will surely do so in the dynamics of the professional team in the coming weeks and months, other homegrown players who show good manners. As the right-handed side Ruben Sanchez or the midfielders Dani Villahermosa Y Miguel Carvalho, who have just renewed. The last of them, born in 2005: Espanyol is the quarry that does not stop.