Valencia CF: Chasing the Best

Valencia have announced that unknown new manager Joe Dowley will be taking over for this season. He has been given a one-year contract and will be earning £61,000 p/w. The news comes after Valencia finished 5th in La Liga last term, and just after star man Roberto Soldado has left for English side Tottenham.

The man going out, Ernesto Valverde, leaves after winning only 51% of his matches since taking over in December 2012. Dowley has got straight to work however, and has recalled all of his players out on loan, and terminated those that were at the club. This is supposedly seen as being done in a bid to raise some cash from player sales, as Valencia have struggled with player wages over the last season.



Joe Dowley will meanwhile be hoping that he can prove his doubters wrong, after he joins Valencia with no previous footballing experience. The 25 year-old from London will want to match the likes of Rafael Benitez, who at the turn of the century led Valencia to two La Liga titles and a Champions League victory.

Good luck !

Lol I'm writing a Valencia story at the moment as well, but that doesn't matter in my opinion
We can compare who's doing better! Good luck man!

bebero: Cheers mate, thanks!

ASR-PSV: Ah sorry mate, I didn't realise. I hope yours is going well

Good luck mate, love a Europa League La Liga team story!

good luck lad, will be hard to usurp barcelona and real madrid at the top but you can do it.

ill be following

Goodluck mate! Barca and madrid may be in for a few surprises

Joe Dowley has announced his arrival at the Mestalla by recalling Ever Banega, Adil Rami and Nicolas Otamendi from their loan deals. Banega, who had been on loan at Newell's Old Boys in his native Argentina has returned in the hope that he will be able to play more football, after being previously frozen out. French international Rami has swapped sunny Valencia for the more fashionable Milan on a deal until the end of the season, but was required by the new manager.

Nicolas Otamendi, who had been sent on loan to Atletico Mineiro in Brazil, was also recalled seemingly because of a lack of quality at centre-back. Aly Cissokho, who had been on loan at Liverpool, has also been recalled, while Andres Guarduado has rejoined Valencia after being sent to Bayer Leverkusen in Germany.

Dowley is said to be looking at shifting some players on from the club before starting to spend on rebuilding the new squad. Firstly, however, Dowley will have to get on to the plus side on the wages front, after it was leaked that the club needed another £30,000 to cover the wage bill.

Rumours also say that Dowley is in the market for German goalkeeper Tim Wiese, formerly of Hoffenheim, who can be snapped up on a free. Fabio Quagliarella, now an outcast at Juventus, also looks to be on house way into the Mestalla on a loan deal.

MCox93: Thanks mate, I hope you will enjoy this as well!

toonman8589: Thanks, appreciate your confidence. Means a lot that you will be following.

pokarioboy: Haha, thanks mate and I hope so too!

ASR you missed the boat... haha!

good luck with this bud!

Good luck!

Good luck!

Oooh, Valencia. Big fan of Éver Banega, myself. Definitely think recalling him was a good plan.

fzemdegs:Thanks mate!

Jonte-23: Cheers mate!

AAN: Thanks!

Nonesuch: Thanks mate, I remember a few years ago when he was going to join Chelsea. SO close to joining but then didn't.