Amid mismanagement from an uninterested Peter Lim and ongoing fan unrest, Valencia, one of Spain’s biggest and most storied clubs, face the very real threat of relegation come the end of the season.
By Alex Roberts
A lot has happened since the Singaporean businessman purchased the club back in 2014. From the disastrous appointment of friend and former Man United defender Gary Neville, to amassing a reported €400 million worth of debt, fans have had enough of the man they once hailed as their saviour.
The billionaire made unsuccessful bids for Liverpool and Atletico Madrid before ultimately settling on Valencia, becoming the club’s first foreign owner. Initially, he was celebrated, with thousands of fans taking to the streets to mark the purchase.
Over the first five years, despite fan frustrations regarding a few decisions, including the aforementioned appointment of Neville and Lim’s close relationship with super-agent Jorge Mendes, it wasn’t too bad.
Valencia were still a major European club, qualifying for the Champions League three times, as well as beating Ernesto Valverde’s Barcelona side 2-1 in the 2019 Copa de Rey final to secure their eighth title.
Now, yellow signs exclaiming “Peter Lim, go home” are commonplace, as are the protests. Every game, home or away, sees some sort of fan gathering, urging the incumbent owner to leave and never come back.
It’s gotten so bad, a Spanish couple were recently arrested while trying to leave Singapore after breaking country’s strict laws on public assembly having held stickers and signs outside of Lim’s house, protesting his ownership.
Manager Rubén Baraja was given a threadbare budget over the summer, only 30-year-old winger Luis Rioja came in for a fee, a relatively paltry €1.2 million, while the other seven incomings were either free agents, or loans. The kind of summer transfer window that would make UK Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves proud.
Goalkeeper and arguably their best player, Giorgi Mamardashvili, will depart for Liverpool at the end of the season after Arne Slot’s side purchased and subsequently loaned the Georgian back to Valencia in the summer.
Some teams are able to put whatever is happening in the background to one side, Valencia aren’t one of them. With any future investment looking unlikely, thing will get worse before they get better.
Since taking over in February 2023, Baraja has focused on regaining defensive stability at the club, defending in a 4-4-2 or 4-1-4-1/4-5-1. Last season it was a success, Valencia conceded the sixth fewest goals in LaLiga.
They remain relatively solid defensively this season, conceding 22 goals, the least among the bottom three, but the club’s struggles in front of goal are starting to take a serious toll. It’s not like they’re missing chances, Baraja’s side are simply not creating anything.
Ranked 18th in big chances created with just 20, as well as xG at 12.1 across their first 14 league games, they also sit second from bottom for touches in the opposition box, managing only 243.
Hansi Flick’s revitalised Barcelona were up first, and they faced an early scare when Hugo Duro powered in a header just before halftime to give Valencia a shock lead at the Mestalla.
Robert Lewandowski wasn’t too happy with that and the legendary Polish striker quickly took the game by the scruff of the neck. Ten minutes after the restart, Barca were 2-1 up, going on to secure all three points.
Valencia went over a month without a win, before finally securing their first victory against Girona in game week six thanks to an own goal from Juanpe and a stunning long-range effort from striker Dani Gómez.
After that came another five-game LaLiga winless streak, consisting of three draws, two defeats and only three goals scored.
In late November, a shock 4-2 over Real Betis in game week 14, gave Baraja’s side a reprieve, lifting them off the bottom of the table and into nineteenth, one point ahead of fellow strugglers Real Valladolid. Since then, they’ve won two games against lower league opposition in the Copa Del Rey. But they have also reverted to type in LaLiga, losing to Mallorca and Rayo Vallecano.
There is still hope for Valencia fans, however, the club is officially on the market, although the price remains a point of contention. Lim is reportedly asking for €350-400 million to relinquish his 91.5% stake in the club.
Lim’s limited investment has had an unintended yet positive side effect, reviving Valencia’s reliance on their renowned academy, which once produced talents like Juan Mata and David Silva, as they look to develop a new generation of stars.
Valencia have the second youngest squad in the Spanish top-flight with an average age of 24.1 years, just 0.4 more than Barcelona with the likes of defender Cristhian Mosquera and midfielder Javi Guerra leading the way. Hopefully Lim is able to sell the club before stripping them of their future by selling off these valuable assets.
It’s still early in the season and Los Che have time on their side. The next few months will be crucial in their fight to avoid relegation, and they can take solace in the fact that Lim won’t be around forever.
After a devastating year for both the club and the city of Valencia, brighter days are undoubtedly on the horizon.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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