Valencia on the up in La Liga

It’s likely that Valencia will finish third in La Liga and claim a place in the Champions League.

I have to admit Valencia are one of my favourite teams to watch on the continent and I’m glad, baring a major collapse, that they will be competing at Europe’s top table again next season.

Crisis

Their exit from the Europa League at the hands of compatriots Atletico Madrid happened in controversial circumstances, with Los Ches being denied an obvious penalty kick late-on in the tie.

However their league form has saw them rise to third in La Liga behind the big two. They are in fact the third most supported club in Spain. Their support has been vital in the last few years as the club have suffered financial problems.

Debt

The club are massively in debt after borrowing money to pay for the building of a new stadium which is due to open in 2011. The Nou Mestalla was scheduled to be complete for this season but Los Ches financial problems delayed construction.

The club borrowed on the fact that they would be able to sell the land where their current ground the Mestalla now stands. Unfortunately they have been unable to find a buyer for the land and are now desperately looking for new investment.

Sales

One solution which will not appeal to the Valencia fans is the sale of key players. However it’s likely that the club will have to sell one their highly rated stars. The likes of David Silva and David Villa are both being linked with big money moves to the Premier League.

David Villa has been heavily linked with Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United. His sale would bring in a large fee and help Los Ches reduce their massive debt. However Villa is Valencia’s talisman the sort of player that can produce on the big occasion. He is also one of the stars of Spain’s national side and the favourite to win the golden boot at the World Cup this summer.

David Silva is another clever little Spanish playmaker. He is also attracting interest from Liverpool, Chelsea and Real Madrid. If Villa is sold then maybe Los Ches will be able to keep hold of the talented attacking midfielder.

Backup

Even if the worse comes to the worse and Villa and Silva are sold then Valencia still won’t be short of talent. The emergence of the attacking midfielder Pablo Hernandez in the past few seasons has been exciting.

Surprisingly he is 25 years old and it wasn’t until last season he made an impact at the Mestalla after spells on loan at Cadiz and then Getafe. He has impressed since returning from Getafe and has even managed to force his way into Vicente Del Bosque’s national side.

The other player that has impressed me recently is young winger-cum-full-back Jordi Alba. The youngster has made less than ten appearances for the first team having started the season in the B team but has impressed in the left-back position.

He was previously employed as a winger in the B team and was originally only employed as an emergency left-back. However his performances at left-back have led his boss Unai Emery to the conclusion that it could a permanent move.

Improved

Hopefully the club can find a way out of their financial crisis and put themselves back on a better footing. An appearance and good performance in the Champions League will bring them an excellent financial reward which will help towards reducing their massive debts.

Although the likes of Villa and Silva may not be around next season they will have done their club a big service by helping them get back into the big time of European football. It could be the perfect parting gift from the deadly duo.