Oier Olazábal could live this last minute (21 h, DAZN) in El Toralín his last minutes with the Espanyol shirt. The replacement of Diego López in the Copa del Rey and the loss of Joan García, positive for covid, open the doors to the debut of the second Spanish goalkeeper so far this year. The Basque goalkeeper has a contract with the white-and-blue club, but it will be difficult for him to play again, as if Diego and Joan do not suffer any injuries or penalties, all indications are that they will be the ones who will continue to play. the two competitions that Espanyol is playing this season.
Although Vicente Moreno commented at a press conference that, in terms of the situation in the goal, they go “day by day”, the club’s bet, as already explained by ARA, is clear: Diego López is fixed and his presence should serve to give Joan García time to train and adapt to the elite so that he ends up being the club’s starting goalkeeper for many years once the Galician decides to leave. The youngster from the youth team has already passed Oier against Solares and Palencia Cristo, a clear sign that he is already Espanyol’s second goalkeeper. Both he and the Galician will continue at the club next season, if nothing strange happens, a scenario that would cause the departure of the goalkeeper of Irun, who will have played a testimonial role as a parakeet.
Unpublished this season, the last official match that Oier played as a Spaniard was precisely in the Ponferradina field. Vicente Moreno gave the Basque goalkeeper the title in the two days following the mathematical confirmation of the direct promotion. The first ended with a defeat (0-2) against Cartagena, but in the second, in El Toralín (1-4), Oier was able to pull out the thorn and add his first and only victory in the second with the ‘Spanish.
In the shadow of Diego López
In his almost two years at Espanyol, the Basque goalkeeper has only played seven games, three in the Cup, two in the First Division and two more in the Second Division. The white-and-blues won four and Oier conceded five goals. This Tuesday will be the eighth and probably last duel as a Spaniard for a goalkeeper who, at 32, seems doomed to the bench until next summer, when he will have to look for a new destination.
The testimonial participation he has had so far on the pitch shows that it has been a bad signing for Espanyol, which in January 2020 paid 1.5 million to Levante for a goalkeeper who, at that time, had been without a player for a year. play. The Spanish club had just invested more than 40 million in three pieces – De Tomás, Embarba and Cabrera – called to be indisputable in a team that was desperately looking for a change of direction to avoid relegation.
Oier was the only one who did not have to play, at least in the short term, a leading role. He arrived on the last day of the winter market at a club that already had the goal covered with Diego López and Andrés Prieto. The first ended his contract in June of that year, but the possibility of leaving the club in case of relegation caused the sports area to try to strengthen the goal with an experienced profile in case of relegation to Second. Despite the decline, Diego López agreed to renew, a move that led to Oier continuing in a second term and it was Prieto who packed his bags. The first match of 2022 will be for Oier, who, if nothing strange happens, will give the last service to Espanyol in El Toralín.
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