Club Spotlight: Girona 2023/24

Club Spotlight: Girona 2023/24

By Neel Shelat

With the transfer window fast approaching, clubs around the world will be looking to strengthen their squads in preparation for the next campaign, but some overachievers may also lose key figures to teams with bigger budgets. Using Smarterscout’s league benchmarking models and advanced metrics, we will pick out some such players in this series.


Girona’s 10th-placed La Liga finish in 2022/23 was their best-ever at the time and a pretty impressive achievement for a newly promoted side. They would go on to reach unimaginable heights in the subsequent season, though, finishing on the podium most recently to smash their previous record and seal their European debut in the continent’s most prestigious club competition, the UEFA Champions League.

Some have cited their links to the City Football Group (CFG) as a factor behind their success, but it is worth keeping in mind that they had one of the lower wage bills in the Spanish top-flight for 2023/24. Indeed, the biggest advantage they get as a part of being in the CFG ecosystem is their scouting network and certain loanees, but their relatively low budget means their overachieving squad could get picked off by financially stronger clubs.

Let's take a look at some of the players in their squad likely to get attention from bigger clubs.

Aleix García (DM/CM, 1997)

In fact, Girona have already seen one of their stars depart. Aleix García recently joined surprise Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen in a deal worth up to €20 million.

He was reinvented as a deep-lying playmaker last season, shining on the ball as an excellent progressor using his vast passing range and carrying ability while offering great retention to boot. The Spaniard held his own defensively too, using his great reading of the game to his advantage.

Girona will surely miss a player of García’s caliber, but at the same time, Leverkusen seems a perfect fit for him.

Viktor Tysgankov (RW/CAM, 1997)

Ukrainian international Viktor Tsygankov was one of the stars of La Liga’s second-best attack (behind only Real Madrid) as he contributed with 15 goals and assists. For his first full season in a top-five league, that is a very impressive return indeed.

Our model noted that he was significantly more effective coming in from the right wing rather than starting centrally. The right winger position in Girona’s system often saw him take up positions in the half-space as the right back would overlap so the area he operated in was not too dissimilar, but the conditions around him as well as the threat he could pose out wide in transition seemed to make the difference.

He did link-up and retain the ball well when he started centrally, but his attacking threat was lower. The 26-year-old forward seemed much more threatening from the right as he progressed the ball better through dribbling and passing and got into the box more often.

With all of this in mind, Tsygankov seems a good fit for a club looking for a right winger who likes to drift inside. He has been loosely linked to Arsenal more than anyone else so far, but a side like Liverpool might be a better fit for him profile-wise.

Artem Dovbyk (ST, 1997)

Tsygankov’s fellow countryman Artem Dovbyk also attracted a lot of attention by scoring a whopping 24 goals in the league. That was precisely what our model expected to see on the back of his stellar Ukrainian Premier League season with SC Dnipro, whom he nearly fired to a title in 2022/23.

Quite impressively, Dovbyk’s qualities remained almost perfectly consistent between the two seasons despite the fact that he played for two different teams in two completely different leagues. The 26-year-old striker showed himself to be capable of dropping off and linking up with his teammates using his strength in duels while offering a decent degree of ball retention, but it was in around the box that he really came alive thanks to his intelligent movement and high-volume shooting. Such qualities in a striker will be appreciated by most sides.

Arsenal have been linked with a move for him, and this seems a better match as the Gunners could do with a proper line-leading striker. With a contract until 2028, though, Girona will surely try to extract a transfer fee touching €50 million for him.

Yangel Herrera (DM/CM, 1998)

While Aleix García starred in midfield thanks to his on-ball qualities, Yangel Herrera was quietly very important as he did a lot of the dirty work out of possession. He got stuck into a fair few tackles and made a good deal of interceptions, producing a squad-high total of 88. The Venezuelan international also had the license to get forward off the ball, so he posed a significant attacking threat by regularly popping up in dangerous positions in and around the box.

On the ball, Herrera was not a standout but did a tidy enough job to keep things ticking and let his more talented teammates like García do the heavy lifting in terms of progression. The 26-year-old midfielder has all the qualities of a well-rounded combative midfielder.

There has not been much word of a transfer for Herrera, and with a contract until 2027, he could well stay in Catalonia. If he does leave, though, Transfermarkt believes he should go for about €25 million.

Miguel Gutiérrez (LB, 2001)

At the back, Real Madrid academy graduate Miguel Gutiérrez was one of the most exciting young talents in this Girona side. He was impressive throughout the season, getting a mention from us back in 2023.

The 22-year-old left back has room to improve defensively but already is supremely polished on the ball. He operated in a variety of roles that saw him do everything from inverting into midfield to advancing in the halfspace, and his excellent retention, and link-up passing and secure progressive carrying stood out at all times. Unsurprisingly, then, he profiles as a versatile full-back who can contribute to a team’s attacking output in multiple ways.

Some of the world’s biggest clubs such as Manchester United have been linked with the young Spaniard, but reports suggest that he could end up back at Real Madrid given their need for a left back and the buyback option they have. Said to be worth €8 million, that would be a steal for Los Blancos as Transfermarkt estimate Gutiérrez to be more than three times greater than that amount.


To check out these players and thousands more from over 60 leagues around the world head over to smarterscout.com and create a free account to get started.

Smarterscout offers the smartest analytics in the beautiful game. Assess players' contributions to winning, playing styles, and skill levels. Benchmarked for your league.


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