Tamudo

By: Armando | July 1st, 2009

When you’re club captain for so long and a talismanic figure to the only club you have ever played for in the first division, I realize he was on loan at Alaves and LLeida early on in his career, it is surprising to hear that the club is not only refusing to renegotiate the contract that would end your career at Cornella el Prat but also entertaining offers from Italy, Greece and England to take his services off the Espanyol books.

I know he’s 31 years old and well past his prime, he’s been injured much of his last 2 years at the club, and he’s looking for one last mega-contract. Espanyol have brought in some fitting replacements, and there is also some interest at his cut-rate evaluation of 2.5 million pounds. New Wigan manager, and fellow countryman, Roberto Martinez is a fan and they already have ex-Espanyol midfielder Jordi Gomez who played under Martinez at Swansea City, so that looks like the most appropriate destination, but in the long run it looks doomed to failure.

The club clearly want to sell no matter what people are saying in the foreground. The leadership in the locker-room has been a problem for years and Tamudo has been a focal point of player unrest. Instead of helping to take control of the squad, he has been part of the problem. Miguel Angel Lotina, Juande Ramos, Luis Fernandez, Ernesto Valverde, Tintin Marquez, and Mane have all been let go under Raul Tamudo’s tenure at Espanyol. Many of them have noted the fractured backroom, the haves and have nots amongst the players, those with inluence and those with none and ultimately the lack of support by management for Espanyol’s managers.

Relegation though is the great equalizer. Players who have coasted to date through inflated contracts have been humbled by the possibility of sending the club to a financial meltdown in the second division. It’s not just Tamudo, De la Pena, or Luis Garcia, but in fact most of the core leadership is feeling the wrath of a club that has sided with former captain and newest coach Mauricio Pochettino.

After the last whistle was blown, and the club saved from relegation, Pochettino layed out his groundwork for the new season. He would not re-sign with the club if new signings weren’t brought in, competition for places raised to the maximum. He gave his ultimatum, and the club put Tamudo and Lil Buddha on the market. In fact, more than half the squad of 28 is up for sale or for loan; some to be released outright. The player leaders have stalled in signing their contracts, hoping that the club would blink again in another round of chicken. Instead, Espanyol have signed promising young Chelsea striker Ben Saha and convinced midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura to make a short detour from Celtic before returning to Japan. Odd that they would be replacements if the two captains left? Not really. De la Pena blinked, then signed knowing that there were few clubs in the market for a slow, bald, passer with little to no finishing skills. Now Tamudo is set to leave, maybe to Wigan or Blackburn or Bolton or Hull, but the damage to his credibility is done. He’s no longer a first choice Spanish International.

Espanyol. Today. This is Pochettino’s team; and we are the better for it. I love Raul Tamudo. He is the best player in the history of RCD Espanyol, but football is a team game. He is the team, but the team is not him. Espanyol will exist long after he leaves and then some. I wish him well if he does leave, but the club endures.

Visca l’Espanyol