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From Udinese to Granada (and Cádiz?) - the legal rathole: Part 3 (24th November, 2017)

In the last two parts we looked at players who, in the 2009-10 season, moved from Udinese to Granada. And there are many, many players who have since moved to Granada.

But we will look at that in another part. For today, we will look at players who moved from Granada to Cádiz in the 2011-12 season.

In the summer of 2011, an agreement was reached with Quique Pina, president of Granada, for the sport management of the club, as well as a possible sale of the club at the end of the campaign in 2012, subject to if Cádiz ascended to the Segunda or if it declared bankruptcy.

Despite not getting promoted, Pina remained interested in the club, and asked Antonio Muñoz to give him his duties for a year to be able to fully manage the club, to try again to get promoted. But Muñoz finally rejected the proposal and on July 12, 2012 sold his shares for 400,000 euros to a group of Italo-Swiss foreign investors. Florentino Manzano was appointed as the new president, Alessandro Gaucci as sports director, Renato Moroni, as the new marketing manager of the club, and Giovanni del Re as representative of the investment group, ending Muñoz's reign as the club's top shareholder.





If you remember, in part 2, we talked about Óscar Pérez, who fits that category. Just to remind you about the midfielder, Óscar Pérez was signed from Tenerife. Óscar Pérez started his professional career with hometown's Real Oviedo (2000-03), and subsequently played for Eibar (2003-04), Córdoba (2004-January 2006), Bolton Wanderers (2006), and Tenerife (2006-09). In 2009 He was immediately loaned to Granada in 2009 after signing for Udinese, and Granada in turn loaned him out to Cádiz for the 2011-12 season and Racing Santander for the 2012-13 season. In December 2013, he signed for Thai club Ratchaburi, and then later for Tercera side Caudal. He helped Caudal to promotion in 2016, and spent the 2016-17 campaign there. He now plays for Tercera side Marino de Luanco.

But there were 11 others, namely Toti, José María Cases, Pedro Barrancos, David Ferreiro, Álex Goikoetxea, Ikechi Anya, David de Coz, Juanjo, Gonzalo, Kabiru Akinsola, Héctor Yuste and Jeison Murillo. That's right - 12 players moved to Cádiz on loan from Granada in one season. And it was so pervasive that there were actual headlines such as "David Ferreiro will sign for Granada and also go to Cádiz", and "De Coz also arrives on loan from Granada".

See? I'm not kidding. Credit: granadacf.ideal.es


All four of the players in this part signed from Salamanca - midfielder Toti was one of them. Born in Salamanca, and was a Salamanca youth graduate. He made his senior debuts with the reserves in the 2005-06 season in Tercera. He appeared with the main squad in the same season, playing six games as they returned to the Segunda at the first attempt. He would be definitively promoted to the first team in August 2007, and spent four more seasons at the club, until they were relegated to the Segunda B in 2011.

In August 2011, Toti signed for Granada and was immediately loaned to Cádiz for the 2011-12 season, to Hércules in the Segunda the season after, and to Deportivo Alavés for the 2013-14 season also in the Segunda. After appearing in 30 matches and scoring four goals, he signed permanently for the club. He would play there for the 2014-15 season before moving to Thai side Bangkok Glass, where he still plays.

Toti


Others include central defender Álex Goikoetxea, a quintessential Athletic Bilbao player. He was raised in the lower categories of Athletic Club, was promoted to Basconia in the 2001-02 season, and became part of Bilbao Athletic in the 2003-04 season. However, like many others, he could not find opportunities in the first team, and for the 2005-06 season decided to leave for Cultural Leonesa. Despite a serious injury that derailed his 2007-08 season, he stayed there for four years and because one of the Segunda B's most consistent defenders, earning a move to Segunda side Salamanca in 2009. It was quite an odd choice - despite being a Segunda starter, he joined Segunda B side Cádiz on loan from Granada. Nevertheless, his performances allowed him to terminate his Granada contract in 2012, and move to second tier side Racing Santander.

Álex Goikoetxea


However, he was not used in the latter half of the season, and left in the summer of 2013. He would go on to sign for Segunda B side Amorebieta in January 2014, and for Segunda B side Leioa in the summer of 2014. He played there for two seasons, and has been without a club since.

Then there is the case of defensive midfielder Héctor Yuste - born in Cartagena, he started out at local Fuente Álamo and Real Murcia, graduating from Cartagena. In 2006, he made his first appearances for the senior team, in the Segunda B. After a one year loan at Tercera amateurs Las Palas for the 2007-08 season, Yuste returned to Cartagena, helping it return to the Segunda in the 2008-09 season.

In 2010, he signed for Segunda side Salamanca, and what followed were three relegations from the second tier in four seasons. In 2011 he signed for Granada, being loaned to Cádiz (2011-12), Racing de Santander (2012-13) and Hércules (2013-14), the latter two being in the Segunda and ending in relegation. For the 2014-15 season he returned to Granada and made his La Liga debut, but was loaned out late into the 2015 January transfer window to Segunda side Mallorca. In the summer, the move was made permanent, and he played there until Mallorca's relegation this summer. He has since joined Cypriot side Apollon Limassol.

Héctor Yuste


And finally they also signed Nigerian striker Kabiru Akinsola from Salamanca - who in turn signed him from a Tunisian club within 25 days of that club signing him from a Nigerian academy.

On the 6th of January, 2009, Étoile Sportive du Sahel announced the signing of the 18-year-old from the Clique Sports Academy on a five-year deal. He apparently had plenty of suitors vying for his signature, but decided to link up with the Tunisians to joining countryman Emeka Opara. However, just 25 days later, on the 31st of January, he changed clubs again, signing a 3+2 contract with Spain's Salamanca but appearing rarely over the course of two second division seasons -in fact, his first competitive appearance only taking place on 9 May due to bureaucratic problems.

In the summer of 2010, Akinsola stayed in Spain but dropped down to the third level, being loaned out to Zamora. 11 league goals in 32 games convinced Granada to sign him, and he subsequently went out on loan to Cádiz (2011-12), Cartagena (2012) and Cypriot club Doxa (2013). He subsequently signed for Segunda B side L'Hospitalet (2013-14), and has since signed for clubs all around the world - for Romanian side CSMS Iasi in September 2014, Nigerian side Sunshine Stars in January 2015, Greek side PAS Lamia 1964 in August 2015, Segunda B side Mérida in February 2016 - which he terminated in March 2016 for personal reasons, Iraqi side Al-Talaba in September 2016, and Tercera side Recambios Colón in January 2017.

Kabiru Akinsola


Watch out for part 4, where we will finish this Cádiz section!

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