Yesterday I read an interview with an ex-team mate of Fabio Cardoso who said that was one of his strengths. He was a good guy in the dressing room and a real leader on the pitch. Time will tell if it works out with him at Sevilla
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@JeMannji inspired me with his note about Cardoso to do a bit of digging about these players and pull together a mini profile of sorts for our new lads.
Transfer Window Summer 2025 Signings
- Odysseas Vlachodimos (Goalkeeper, on loan from Newcastle United)
- Strengths: An elite shot-stopper with outstanding reflexes, particularly in one-on-one situations. He is agile, commands his box well, and possesses reliable distribution skills.
- Reputation: A highly experienced and dependable goalkeeper who was a cornerstone of Benfica’s success for years. He is known for his professionalism and consistency.
- Controversies: Had a brief, public disagreement with former Benfica coach Roger Schmidt over being benched in 2023, which accelerated his move to Newcastle.
- Gabriel Suazo (Left-Back, free transfer from Toulouse)
- Strengths: A tenacious and high-stamina defender known for his exceptional work rate. He is strong in the tackle and contributes to the attack with tireless overlapping runs and crossing. Valued for his leadership.
- Reputation: Known as a committed “warrior” on the pitch. He successfully transitioned from the Chilean league to European football and is seen as a smart, cost-effective, and reliable signing.
- Controversies: No notable controversies are associated with his career.
- Alfon González (Winger, free transfer from Celta Vigo)
- Strengths: A creative and agile winger whose main assets are his pace and dribbling ability in tight spaces. He is skilled at taking on defenders and creating chances in the final third.
- Reputation: Known in Spain as a talented player who is now getting a chance at a major club to prove he can be a consistent performer at the highest level.
- Controversies: He has a clean record with no major controversies.
- Andrés Castrín (Centre-Back, promoted from the Cantera)
- Strengths: A physically strong, experienced defender who is solid in the air and in the tackle. He is a fundamental, no-nonsense player brought in to provide defensive depth.
- Reputation: Considered a reliable journeyman professional in Spain. He is not known for flair but is respected for his work ethic and experience in La Liga.
- Controversies: No major controversies are attached to his name.
- Ramón Martínez (Central Midfielder, promoted from the Cantera)
- Strengths: A technically gifted midfielder whose primary assets are his range of passing, vision, and ability to dictate the tempo of the game. He is a cerebral player who relies on intelligence over physicality.
- Reputation: He is a highly-rated prospect from Sevilla’s youth academy. He is seen internally as a potential future staple of the first-team midfield.
- Controversies: As a young player just beginning his senior career, he has no controversies.
Deadline Day Reinforcements (August 31, 2025)
- Alexis Sánchez (Forward, free transfer)
- Strengths: A world-class work rate and tenacity combined with superb technical skill and a powerful shot. His versatility allows him to play anywhere across the front line, providing goals, assists, and immense pressure on opposing defenses.
- Reputation: A Chilean national hero and a proven elite talent. Despite a difficult spell at Man United, he has rebuilt his reputation as a decisive and experienced veteran. His signing brings a massive injection of star power and winning mentality to the squad.
- Controversies: Was found guilty of tax fraud in Spain in 2018 (dating to his Barcelona days) and accepted a suspended sentence. His massive wages at Man United were a source of constant debate.
- Fábio Cardoso (Centre-Back, transfer from FC Porto)
- Strengths: An intelligent and composed central defender who excels at positioning and reading the game. He is a strong tackler, reliable in the air, and brings championship-winning experience and leadership to the backline.
- Reputation: A highly respected and dependable defender from the Portuguese league. Seen as a consummate professional who provides a steady and calming presence in defense.
- Controversies: Known for an aggressive style that can lead to disciplinary issues, but has no major off-field controversies.
- Batista Mendy (Defensive Midfielder, transfer from Trabzonspor)
- Strengths: A physically dominant holding midfielder whose 6’3" frame makes him a force in the air and in the tackle. He is an elite ball-winner, perfectly suited to breaking up opposition attacks and shielding the defense.
- Reputation: Mendy had built a reputation as one of the most effective “destroyers” in Europe and was secured to be the powerful anchor of Sevilla’s midfield for years to come.
- Controversies: No notable controversies are associated with his career; he is regarded as a focused professional.
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And a quick compilation of the most relevant stats, which I compiled with AI, so some caveat that there could be errors, maybe even bloopers.
Goalkeepers
| Player | Club (2024/25) | Appearances | Clean Sheets | Saves per Game | Save Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odysseas Vlachodimos | Newcastle United | 12 | 4 | 3.1 | 76.8% |
Defenders
| Player | Club (2024/25) | Appearances | Tackles per Game | Interceptions per Game | Clearances per Game | Duels Won |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Suazo | Toulouse | 36 | 2.8 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 61% |
| Fábio Cardoso | FC Porto | 31 | 2.1 | 1.5 | 3.8 | 64% |
| Andrés Castrín | Getafe | 18 | 1.9 | 1.1 | 3.5 | 58% |
Midfielders
| Player | Club (2024/25) | Appearances | Pass Comp. % | Tackles per Game | Interceptions per Game | Key Passes per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Batista Mendy | Trabzonspor | 35 | 89.1% | 3.6 | 2.4 | 0.8 |
| Ramón Martínez | Sevilla Atlético | 28 | 91.5% | 1.5 | 1.2 | 1.9 |
Forwards & Wingers
| Player | Club (24/25 or most recent full season) | Appearances | Goals | Assists | Shots per Game | Dribbles per Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Akor Adams | Montpellier | 34 | 16 | 3 | 2.9 | 1.1 |
| Alexis Sánchez | Inter Milan | 39 | 9 | 8 | 2.1 | 1.8 |
| Rubén Vargas | FC Augsburg | 32 | 5 | 7 | 1.8 | 2.2 |
| Alfon González | Celta Vigo | 24 | 3 | 4 | 1.1 | 1.9 |
And finally, some nontraditional stats for the full first team squad:
Goalkeepers
| Player | Market Value | EA FC 25 Rating | Key Advanced Stat | Stat Value & Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Odysseas Vlachodimos | €5.00m | 80 OVR | PSxG +/- | +1.9 (A top-tier shot-stopper, saves more goals than expected) |
| Álvaro Fernández | €2.00m | 70 OVR (79 POT) | Saves per 90 | 3.8 (Faced a high volume of shots on loan in the Segunda División) |
| Ørjan Nyland | €0.90m | 72 OVR | Reflex Saves | 74% (A reliable and experienced backup keeper) |
Defenders
| Player | Market Value | EA FC 25 Rating | Key Advanced Stat | Stat Value & Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| José Ángel Carmona | €12.00m | 76 OVR (84 POT) | Tackles + Interceptions | 4.9 per 90 (Extremely active and effective modern fullback) |
| Juanlu Sánchez | €12.00m | 75 OVR (85 POT) | Progressive Carries | 4.1 per 90 (Excellent at driving the team forward from deep) |
| Kike Salas | €8.00m | 74 OVR (82 POT) | Clearances | 5.2 per 90 (A no-nonsense, high-volume defender) |
| Gabriel Suazo | €4.00m | 76 OVR | Pressures | 19.8 per 90 (High work rate, constantly closes down attackers) |
| Fábio Cardoso | €3.00m | 78 OVR | Progressive Passes | 5.1 per 90 (Very composed and effective at playing from the back) |
| César Azpilicueta | €2.00m | 79 OVR | Pass Completion % | 90.5% (Veteran intelligence; rarely gives away possession) |
| Marcão | €2.00m | 75 OVR | Pressures | 14.5 per 90 (An aggressive, front-foot defender) |
| Tanguy Nianzou | €1.50m | 74 OVR (82 POT) | Aerial Duels Won | 69.1% (Physically dominant and strong in the air) |
| Andrés Castrín | €0.25m | 72 OVR | Blocks | 1.8 per 90 (Puts his body on the line; solid defensive depth) |
Midfielders
| Player | Market Value | EA FC 25 Rating | Key Advanced Stat | Stat Value & Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lucien Agoumé | €8.00m | 74 OVR (83 POT) | Pass Completion % | 92.1% (Extremely tidy in possession, recycles the ball well) |
| Djibril Sow | €7.50m | 79 OVR | Progressive Passes | 6.8 per 90 (Key to transitioning from defense to attack) |
| Batista Mendy | €4.00m | 78 OVR | Tackles Won | 2.9 per 90 (An elite ball-winner and defensive anchor) |
| Nemanja Gudelj | €3.00m | 79 OVR | Long Pass Completion | 79.5% (Elite at switching play and long distribution) |
| Joan Jordán | €2.50m | 76 OVR | Key Passes | 1.8 per 90 (Creates significant chances from deep) |
| Manu Bueno | €1.50m | 67 OVR (81 POT) | Progressive Carries | 3.5 per 90 (Confident ball-carrier from the youth ranks) |
| Ramón Martínez | €1.00m | 68 OVR (85 POT) | Progressive Passes | 7.9 per 90 (Elite passer; moves the ball upfield from midfield) |
Forwards & Wingers
| Player | Market Value | EA FC 25 Rating | Key Advanced Stat | Stat Value & Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rubén Vargas | €7.00m | 77 OVR | Shot-Creating Actions (SCA) | 4.2 per 90 (The primary creative force in the attack) |
| Isaac Romero | €6.00m | 77 OVR (83 POT) | Non-Penalty xG (npxG) | 0.52 per 90 (Consistently gets into high-quality scoring chances) |
| Alfon González | €5.00m | 75 OVR | Successful Take-Ons | 2.5 per 90 (Effective and direct one-on-one dribbler) |
| Akor Adams | €5.00m | 76 OVR | Aerial Duels Won | 55.4% (A powerful physical presence and target man) |
| Chidera Ejuke | €4.00m | 75 OVR | Successful Take-Ons | 3.1 per 90 (One of the most prolific dribblers available) |
| Peque Fernández | €3.50m | 73 OVR (80 POT) | Non-Penalty xG (npxG) | 0.49 per 90 (Prolific scorer in Segunda, finds great positions) |
| Alexis Sánchez | €2.50m | 81 OVR | Pressures | 21.5 per 90 (Veteran experience combined with an elite work rate) |
| Adnan Januzaj | €1.20m | 74 OVR | Shot-Creating Actions (SCA) | 3.9 per 90 (Creates chances when on his game) |
Glossary of Advanced Stats
- EA FC 25 Rating: The player’s overall rating in the EA Sports FC 25 video game. (OVR = Overall, POT = Potential).
- PSxG +/- (Post-Shot Expected Goals minus Goals Allowed): A positive number suggests the keeper saved more difficult shots than an average keeper would be expected to.
- Progressive Passes / Carries: A pass or carry that moves the ball significantly towards the opponent’s goal.
- Shot-Creating Actions (SCA): The final two offensive actions directly leading to a shot (passes, dribbles, etc).
- Pressures: The number of times a player applies pressure to an opposing player.
- Non-Penalty xG (npxG): Measures the quality of non-penalty chances a player gets into.
@RyanMoore Your descriptions of the players gives me a little more hope for the season. Thanks for polishing the turd. My hope is that we exceed my expectations and stay up
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Totally random, but how did we suddenly go from like half the squad from Argentina to not a single Argentine in a blink of an eye? Two Chileans, tho, interestingly enough.
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Gonna work on converting the new neighbor who is Chilean to a Sevilla fan!
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I read his knees are killing him and he’s been on painkillers for the past few years.
Still think the deal of money plus him for Gil was a bad one, what could have been.
I also read the club want to rescind or loan out Alvaro Fernandez so they can make one more free agent signing but he really isn’t willing to budge, typical.
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It’s rumored that we have an agreement in principle with Hakim Ziyech who is a free agent.
His signature will depend on what happens with Ferllo.
Another has been? He has been injured for almost as many games as he’s played the last few years. He was great back in the day, though!
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At least Cordon is doing something to address the lack of wingers, Ziyech was great at Ajax and pretty good at Chelsea. Too bad he didn’t decide to come during his prime, but at least there’s our complimentary Moroccan sorted.
Find it hard to believe that Reguilon is still a free agent, he’s 28 and should be at or close to his prime. Given there’s only Suazo as a natural leftback, Cordon should really look into bringing him or Juan Bernat in, make it happen!
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There won’t be space for Ziyech. I’m not sure what the deal is behind the scenes w/ Ferllo, so i’ll reserve judgement. As long as he knows he’s 4th choice.
Also idk why Ramón Martínez needed to be added to the 1st team squad w so many defenders already.
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It’s really criminal not to consider Reguilon.
Maybe he wants a hefty salary, but he could definitely resuscitate his career with some good performances here. Heck, Reguilon could’ve been used even as a left winger at times.
Bernat… not so sure. He’s good, but very past his prime.
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I mean, if you’re in the market for ex-Valencia players, there actually is a full XI of free agents out there right now. Problem is they’re nearly all busted flushes. (Wonder if you could make a similar XI for Sevilla?) I’m super surprised Bernat is only 32. I saw him the 2011-12 season. He’s probably the best of a bad bunch but is way over the hill and couldn’t even get a regular spot in a weak Getafe team last season.
Reguilon or Ziyech would be useful, but their salary demands are likely to be the problem.
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I think Oriol Romeu would be a brilliant signing for a season
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I like Jaume too, and I’ve always liked Paco, but I don’t think it’s one of his goals to return to the top level.
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Iheanacho made his debut as a 70th minute substitute away at Kilmarnock. He scored a 90 +6 minute penalty to win the game for Celtic.
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surprised they would give the PK to the new guy, who came on late in the game.
Going back to the “Mendilibar doctrine”, I suppose he had the advantage of speaking the same language as the coach and the fans, so maybe that was why the coach was convinced that he could take the PK.
PS - I like the sound of that for the Mendi legacy. The “Mendilibar doctrine”: s/he who speaks a different language will have difficulty understanding football tactics in a new country.
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