Raul Albentosa is in talks about a swift return to Spanish football, it has been confirmed today by Derby County’s official website, just six months after signing.
The Spanish centre half has been targeted by Spanish La Liga side Malaga CF to bolster their push towards a Europa League position in the forthcoming season.
The defender has permission to look elsewhere
Albentosa has been given permission by the Rams to meet with Malaga officials and the representatives of the player and club are currently in talks over a potential loan move. Thus, he will not feature in the second pre-season fixture for the club today at League Two side Northampton Town.
Albentosa, a central defender, was signed in the January transfer window by the Rams for an undisclosed fee, to bolster a creaking defence and solidify chances of a top-two Championship finish for the East Midlands club.
After making his competitive debut in a 2-0 home victory against Chesterfield in the fourth round of the FA Cup, the six-foot-four stopper struggled with a mystery foot injury, with Albentosa’s corrective footwear cited as a potential. The Spaniard had allegedly forgotten to bring them with him when he signed.
He struggled to settle with the Rams
Eventually Albentosa started to feature, and did so on eight occasions in the 2014/15 season. The team started to struggle with confidence and following a defeat at home to arch-rivals Nottingham Forest in March 2015, Derby leaked an alarming number of goals.
Albentosa never had a settled run in the team and the then-Derby head coach, Steve McClaren, searched for a solution by positionally adjusting a number of players.
The language barrier was always an issue for Albentosa and a move back to his homeland may well be beneficial for both parties as he looks to gain the confidence which saw him named in La Liga’s team of the month for January 2015, shortly before his move to England.