Defensive depth added with Pedro Porro arrival

Perhaps the most intriguing of all of Real Valladolid’s summer loan captures has come in the shape of Pedro Porro, the highly-rated former Girona defender. On the last day of the English transfer window the right-back was snapped up by reigning champions Manchester City for a fee reportedly in the region of £10.5 million. It was then announced that Porro would remain in La Liga, where he has played since joining the Catalan club from C.F. Peralada in August last year, but on loan at Real Valladolid for a season. This will offer him a chance to keep playing regular, top-tier football due to Girona’s relegation to the Segunda at the conclusion of the 2018/19 campaign.

Porro has represented Spain at Under-21 level, making his debut on March 21st this year against Romania in a 1-0 win where he played the entire match. He then completed the full 90 minutes four days, helping his side defeat Austria 3-0.

Incumbent right-back Javi Moyano is also club captain at the José Zorrilla, but some of his performances last season drew criticism from some sections of the fans and media and he lost his place at times to Antoñito. Higher levels of mobility count in Antoñito’s favour, such as his ability to press forward more than Moyano. The two split equal playing time for most of the pre-season matches, with Sergio alternating them in starting roles with the other acting as a replacement at half-time, until the trip to Marbella. In the match against Granada, Moyano started and was replaced by Antoñito on 78 minutes, with the roles being reversed when they met Mallorca. In this match, Moyano came on as a substitute in the 71st minute. Antoñito did not feature in the win over Sporting in the penultimate friendly. In the encounter with Brescia, Sergio experimented with starting Antoñito at right-back, but then pushed him into right-midfield when Moyano replaced winger Jorge De Frutos on the hour mark.

The battle for this position seemed interesting enough to begin with, but the addition of Porro – who will hope to make an impact and force his way into City’s plans for next season – adds another curious dimension.

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