What next for Girona?

Big-time European soccer can be very tough on smaller, successful teams. When a team does well, bigger clubs often take their best players (and sometimes their manager) before they can compete again at the same level. This is happening to VfB Stuttgart. They finished second in the Bundesliga last season, but now they have lost some key players. Forward Serhou Guirassy and center-back Waldemar Anton moved to Borussia Dortmund, and center-back Hiroki Ito went to Bayern Munich. Also, Deniz Undav, who was on loan from Brighton, did so well that Brighton decided to keep him for their own team, turning down a big offer from Stuttgart.

Stuttgart will start the new season without four of their best players from last year. Bologna is in a similar situation. They lost their two best players, defender Riccardo Calafiori to Arsenal and forward Joshua Zirkzee to Manchester United. Their manager, Thiago Motta, also left for Juventus.

Girona might be hit the hardest. They lost midfielder Aleix Garcia to Bayer Leverkusen for €18 million. Key loan players like winger Savinho, center-back Eric García, and fullback Yan Couto, who were very important last season, have not returned because they are too expensive. Forward Artem Dovbyk, has also just left for Roma.

Girona kept their manager, Michel, and signed some new players like midfielder Donny van de Beek (Manchester United), winger Bryan Gil (Tottenham Hotspur), and forward Abel Ruiz (Braga). However, the team will look very different. They have a tough start to the season with games against Real Betis, Atletico Madrid, and Sevilla. This is much harder than last season’s start. If Girona struggles with their new players, they could find themselves in a difficult position even before their Champions League games begin.