Real Betis have an interesting season ahead after replacing their long-standing manager Quique Setien with Rubi.
After some entertaining seasons under Setien’s leadership, perhaps culminating in 2017/18’s run when the team qualified for Europe, last season the team faltered and didn’t manage to build on the previous season’s success. The faithful fans of Real Betis began to slowly lose patience with Setien, both on and off the pitch, and as results tailed off at the end of the season, his departure become inevitable. Now Betis begin a new era under the guidance of Rubi.
The New Players That Have Joined the Club
Real Betis’ headline signing this summer is the attacking midfield player Nabil Fekir. The prolific French attacker has been coveted by many European clubs, including Liverpool who tried to sign him last season, but were unsuccessful.
Fekir has joined for a €19.75millon fee that could rise by another €10million with add-ons. A lot is expected of Fekir for this fee, and he has something to prove to this season after being overlooked by some of the bigger clubs in the transfer market. He’s one to watch for Betis fans.
He’s not the only important signing Real Betis have made this summer, however. A trio of players signed for €19million collectively will help determine where Betis finish this season. Juanmi (€8million from Real Sociedad), Emerson (€6million from Barcelona), and Dani Martin (€5million from Sporting Gijon) will all play a big role in restoring Real Betis to the top end of the table and hopefully European football next season.
Real Betis recently signed a sponsorship agreement with easyMarkets, an online trading firm that knows how to profit from a trade. Maybe they helped advise Betis this season, as they have made some great signings to help Rubi reach the top of the table.
Players That Have Moved On
Real Betis have moved a number of players on to help the new manager Rubi build his vision. Nearly a dozen players have been sold or let out on loan, but two stand out from all the others.
Pau Lopez has moved to Roma for €23.5million, helping to finance the move for Nabil Fekir. Pau was an excellent goalkeeper for Betis, but felt it was time for him to make a move and further his career in Italy, and the offer from Roma was too good for Betis to turn down.
Junior Firpo has moved to Barcelona for €18million, and this transfer may come back to haunt Betis this season. Firpo is a talented player who has joined a big La Liga team and may find himself playing big games against his old team Betis, if he can play his way into Barcelona’s first team.
Where Will Real Betis Finish This Season?
La Liga is very a competitive league, for the places below Real Madrid and Barcelona at least. A place in the Europa League next season is up for grabs for a number of teams, and Real Betis will want to be in the mix. Rubi needs a good start to his Betis career, and should be aiming for a 7th place finish or better this season.
