Málaga CF is forced to change its plans a week before returning to Primera. Fernando Calero's injury has completely disrupted the route map of Loren Juarros and his sports direction. The central defender will be out of action for nearly two months and leaves Juanfran Funes with a serious problem in the defense axis just before the league debut against Atlético Madrid.
The planning was already adjusted. Now, it is directly short. Málaga CF bet during most of the summer to maintain the block of the past season and reinforce only the positions that it considered priority. With Calero and José Salinas, the idea was to close the defense. The scenario has changed suddenly.
The center of the defense, from closed to vigilant
The decision not to incorporate another central defender had generated doubts since the beginning. Álex Pastor still needs to recover his rhythm and Diego Murillo will not be available until October. Ahead were Einar Galilea, Ángel Recio and Moussa Diarra as alternatives for the axis. None has experience in Primera División. Galilea, that's right, starts with an advantage in Funes' plans. The coach trusts the player and that confidence was decisive for the club to bet on his continuity this summer instead of keeping Javi Montero.
The situation has changed with Calero's injury. Málaga CF now considers it indispensable to go to the market to incorporate a central defender. It's not just about reacting to the Espanyol's former player's misfortune. In Martiricos, they had already moved previously to know the conditions of some defenders in a scenario like the current one.
Loren Juarros defended in mid-July that the position was covered. "We know the situations of Álex Pastor and Diego Murillo and therefore give the position as closed", he explained then. A month later, the circumstances have forced the club to review that decision.
A left central defender, on the radar
Málaga CF had already started to feel the market a few weeks ago. The sports direction wanted to be prepared for any contingency and now that scenario has become a necessity. The priority is to find a left central defender who can compete from the first moment. The club has established contacts with different players, both free agents and contracted defenders. The goal is to find a piece that will elevate the guarantees of a defense that will face the return to Primera with several unknowns.
The central defender joins the midfielder as one of the positions that Málaga CF wants to reinforce before the market closes. Calero's injury has accelerated an operation that, although it was in the background, has now become a priority for Martiricos.
