The race to reach Valladolid's bench is entering its final stretch

The most important thing is to finalize Rubi's contract so that Braulio Vázquez, the sports director, has a clear path when choosing his replacement. Since last week, when the Catalan was told that he will not continue as the head coach of Zorrilla, candidates have been ruled out: Djukic, Mendilibar... and now it seems to be Gaizka Garitano. The man who took Eibar from Segunda B to Primera could be considering not coaching next season, and Real Valladolid knows it.

Now there are three coaches who seem to be better positioned for the final sprint: Quique Setién, Joaquín Caparrós, and Luis César Sampedro. Braulio spoke with Carlos Mouriz, the general director of Lugo, a few weeks ago about Setién. The reports have been positive. Setién, who promoted Racing, is mainly valued for the good game he has shown in Lugo.

However, the name that has recently gained strength and has excited Valladolid is that of Joaquín Caparrós. Caparrós' track record and the character he brings to his teams are highly valued, precisely what Valladolid lacked last year to be promoted. The third candidate in this trio is Luis César Sampedro, who is endorsed by his great work in Albacete and a past promotion to Primera with Nàstic.

Possible departures.

While the sports director of Valladolid decides which coach to hire, the club has 12 players under contract. Out of them, up to three could have requested to leave the club. These cases include Valiente, Jeffren, and Omar. The most striking case is undoubtedly that of the center-back, who has been providing a very important performance for the club for five consecutive seasons.