The passing of days made Manu Molina the player to strengthen Zaragoza’s medulla to give him more skills in football and with the ball, since his name has been on the table since the arrival of Juan Carlos Carcedo at Real Zaragoza, since the man from Huelva was an absolute trusted player for the coach of La Rioja in Ibiza, something revealed by this newspaper on June 22. Zaragoza tried to transfer Colombian footballer Daniel Ruiz from Millonarios de Bogotá, taking advantage of the synergies of the investment group, but the operation, of great difficulty, ended up being canceledwho gave a pass to Manu Molina, who despite other offers on the table always waited for Zaragoza, because his wish was to play again under Carcedo and he said yes to the Aragonese club.
Molina had offers from Oviedo, Huesca, Andorra and Leganés, as well as possibilities abroad, after ending his contract in Ibiza and not renewing his commitment. The player has maintained constant contact with Juan Carlos Carcedo and his representative, Raffaele Pandalone, has also been aware for weeks of interest from Zaragoza, although he was not so optimistic about the operation continuing . In the end, the player’s desire was stronger to accept a financial offer which is not one of the best he had on the table and which only arrived a few days ago, which which accelerated his signature, now very close.
If all goes well, the player could be under the orders of the Zaragoza coach, now admitted for observation at the University Clinical Hospital, in the coming days. “I see him very prepared. In the second division he didn’t manage many games, but his maturity is visible and Ibiza were a reliable team, with an identity and a personality. It will go very well, I’m sure. “, pointed out this newspaper after the signing of the La Rioja coach. Molina also highlighted the tactical qualities of Carcedo, whose reference system is 4-2-3-1, and that in Ibiza he was able to create a cohesive team at the back that conceded very few goals. “He likes to have the ball, look for spaces, go out to play, take advantage of the tapes and concede few goals with a very brave bet. And the strategy works a lot and benefits from it. A day or two a week he dedicates them to set pieces,” added Molina.
Manu Molina was trained at the Recreativo de Huelva youth academy but at a young age he was signed by Espanyol. There, his progression was magnificent and, in 2010, not only did he make the pre-season with the first team but Mauricio Pochettino made his debut in the first division. He played seven games in the top flight and the following summer he arrived in Aragon, in the ranks of Huesca, on loan. In second, he ended up blowing himself a hole and playing 23 league games. However, he had to step back and play second B with the Valencia branch for the next two years, until he returned to Recreativo de Huelva to play second and, again, second B after the dean’s decline. Molina even later moved through the third division into the ranks of the Deportivo subsidiary. Lleida, Salamanca and Balompédica Linense were his next second B clubs until joining Ibiza in 2020, along with Carcedo, to promote the team to second and become a fixture this season.
The career of Daniel Ruiz
The arrival of Manu Molina rules out in practice the firm option represented by the playmaker of the Millonarios Daniel Ruiz, an operation on which the club has been working in silence since mid-May, with the complicity of Gustavo Serpa, Zaragoza’s adviser to the new investment group and maximum shareholder as a member of the Amber Capital group of the Bogotá club. Zaragoza, taking advantage of synergies, he aspired to an articulated transfer with option to buy in case of promotion, but the player does not see clearly to play in the second division, even if it is in Europe, and moreover, Millonarios already has firm economic offers for him, such as that of the Brazilian Botafogo, who put 4 million dollars on the table and that according to some sources he already has an agreement with the footballer.
However, it is very likely that Ruiz, a 20-year-old midfielder who can also come from the wing, but above all a talented midfielder and last passer, will stay with the Colombian team and his jump to Europe or Brazil will be deferred. Millonarios is second in the Clausura, with 5 points and last morning they beat Atlético Nacional with a goal from the talented footballer who will turn 21 at the end of July.