Atlético de Madrid has surprised many by announcing the sale of Germán Valera to Elche. This young talent, considered by some to be the "new Lamine Yamal", has had an interesting but complicated journey in Spanish football. At just 22 years old, Valera has become one of the promising players who will try to relaunch his career under the guidance of an old acquaintance: Eder Sarabia.
Germán Valera arrived at Atlético with high expectations after standing out in the youth ranks of the Spanish national team and in the Villarreal youth academy. Despite having made his debut with the first team under Diego Simeone, the youngster from Murcia failed to establish himself in the Atlético squad. Instead of establishing himself, Valera went through several loans that, although they gave him experience, did not allow him to shine consistently.
Among his stops, his time at Andorra stands out, where he was managed by Eder Sarabia, who managed to get the best out of the extrem. There, Valera played 39 games, scoring 2 goals and providing 1 assist, which generated expectations about his future. However, his subsequent time at Real Zaragoza was not as fruitful, and his performance largely stagnated.
Elche goes for him
Elche, in their search for signings, have shown interest in Valera, seeing in him a player with potential who only needs confidence to flourish. The operation, according to several reports, includes a buyback by Atlético, who do not want to lose sight of a player they could recover.
Fernando Torres, Atlético de Madrid legend and current manager of the reserve team, has not had the opportunity to count on Valera in his team. He would have been a luxury reinforcement for Torres, who is in the midst of training young talents. Although he did not manage him directly, Valera was still linked to Atlético and, without a doubt, his experience and skills would have been valuable for Torres' team. The definitive sale to Elche closes this possibility, although it leaves the door open for an eventual repurchase in the future if Valera meets expectations.
A definitive transfer
Elche are confident that Valera can recover his best form under the guidance of Eder Sarabia, a coach who has already shown that he understands the Murcia native's game and enhances his abilities. In addition, Elche's geographical proximity to Murcia, his homeland, seems to be an important factor in Valera's decision to take this step. After years of loans and not finding his place, the young extrem seems ready to settle into a long-term project.
With this transfer, Atlético de Madrid is looking to give Valera the chance to establish himself in a team where he can get quality minutes. Despite not having managed to make a place for himself in the first team of the red-and-whites, the Madrid club still sees him as a recoverable talent. Germán Valera, who already knows what it is like to debut in LaLiga with Atlético de Madrid, could have a new opportunity in the future if he manages to stand out at Elche.