Winter Survival (3)
Iñigo Chapé, the technical director, asked me about Hong In-soo—his personality, attitude toward games, mentality, all those details. Honestly, I'd only met the guy on the national team, so I couldn't give definitive answers. But in that short time, he'd been one of the closest to me alongside Ha Sang-yoon, so I answered honestly about what I knew.
Cheerful and straightforward, no rough edges—a friendly guy with great affinity. Challenging yet unafraid of physical battles with opponents—stood out especially in training. He asked me all sorts of questions to understand Spanish culture and was already studying Spanish to solve adaptation issues in advance.
Iñigo Chapé looked pretty satisfied hearing that. Might've been my imagination, but his eyes had that "we're bringing this kid in" glint, like it was basically decided.
A few days later, I got a call from Hong In-soo. Iñigo Chapé had reached out through his agent. He was super excited, telling me in a hyped voice that he absolutely wanted to come. But a few days after that, his follow-up call sounded deflated.
Busan FC was holding firm: no sale under 2 million euros.
I reassured him—his contract had only a year left anyway, so Busan would negotiate if a decent fee came in.
After that, he didn't update me on transfer talk. And honestly, I didn't have the bandwidth to follow it closely. November was a massive month for AD Alcorcon's promotion push.
Four games that month, including a midweek one. The problem? That midweek opponent was another promotion contender.
After facing mid-table Real Oviedo in round 15, we had league third-placed Real Zaragoza on weekend 3, then fourth-placed SD Eibar midweek in week 4. At least the week 4 weekend was against lower-mid UE Cornellà, so nailing this tough three-game stretch was key.
Thwack-!Goal-!
Round 15 against Real Oviedo wasn't too bad. The team had rested well, no stamina issues, and playing home kept the vibe ours for all 90 minutes. Score was 2-0, though—not overwhelmingly dominant in goals.
Maybe because I was the only one back from A-match duty, Jordi Calavera subbed me out early in the second half. Still, I kept my scoring streak alive in 15 straight games.
The real trouble hit in round 16, the away game at Real Zaragoza.
Bad luck struck at the 11th minute of the first half.
"Damn. Feels like a hamstring."
Rubén Soriano clutched the back of his thigh, grimacing as he limped off the pitch.
Down our starting center-back. The backup came on, but he lacked ball control and passing. Build-up burden shifted hard to Asier Vadía, so Zaragoza pressed us fiercely to disrupt from the back.
Jordi Calavera dropped the line quick, switching to a direct, long-ball style. Smart move—our core was build-up from the back, and breakdowns there lead straight to goals conceded.
Thwack-!
Defend-and-counter meant fewer shots for me, but...
Thwack-!Goal-!
...I turned most chances into on-target shots, bagging two goals. Shame the game ended 2-2 draw. Zaragoza's attacks stayed sharp even against our defense.
Felt why they were third as we headed back to Alcorcon.
Three days rest later, round 17 at SD Eibar. Without Rubén Soriano (due back in two weeks), and now another blow: Miguel Amaro out of the starting XI with a minor ankle tweak.
No winger, still shaky build-up, so Jordi Calavera stuck with defend-and-counter again. Main squad looked off from the start—fatigue from Zaragoza game.
I had plenty of gas, so I hustled extra to lift the energy...
Thwack-!Goal-!
...and stayed extra cautious on chances to keep momentum, scoring twice in the first half for a 2-0 lead.
Eibar came at us hard second half chasing the equalizer, but we held the two-goal cushion. I assisted Nico Salaberria's goal on a counter to make it 3-1.
Final: 3-1. Conceded one late in stoppage, but not enough to flip it.
2 wins, 1 draw in the key three-game run. Unbeaten streak intact, 14 wins 3 draws—promotion accelerating.
"Ankle feeling better?"
"Yeah. Keeping an eye on it."
Good news: Miguel Amaro back for training, no issues.
Round 18, last game of November vs. UE Cornellà. Jordi Calavera rotated heavily—starters worked hard in the three-game slog, so injury prevention meant benching most mains.
Me and Miguel Amaro started, though.
Tap-tap-!
Miguel Amaro's dribbling shone after a game off. Nico Salaberria benched, so Miguel took left wing seamlessly, tearing up their defense.
I extended my streak to 18 games. He assisted my goal.
Tweet-!
Halftime, Jordi Calavera subbed Alejandro Rico for me. We dipped early second half, but mains trickled in via subs and we regained control.
Final: 2-0. Like the Spanish press said, we'd forgotten how to lose.
November over, December here. Just three games left till first-half end. Winter window less than a month away.
Theo, you free tomorrow?
"Yeah, I can make it."
I'll send a car. Time to talk something very important.
"……!"
Talks on my future kicked off for real.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Visited BN Agency HQ plenty, but never with my heart pounding like this.
Last November was A-matches plus that brutal schedule—no deep winter transfer chats with Borja Navas.
December felt chill. Rounds 19-20 against relegation fodder, 21 mid-table. No slacking, but easier than November's grind. Plus Rubén Soriano back—near full strength (minus Maurinho).
"Some solid talks have happened."
Borja Navas opened.
"No need to decide now. Window's a month out, things change by January anyway."
I just nodded.
Which teams? Conditions? Curiosity had my chest thumping.
"Remember? Even without big clubs, if a mid-upper with cash and investment hits, we'd consider winter."
Hm. Phrasing says no big club offer.
Nodded again. He grinned.
"No need to worry about that."
"Huh?"
"Big club standards vary, but these? I'd call 'em big clubs no question."
Dry swallow.
Club names started rolling from Borja Navas's mouth.
"Spain's Atlético Madrid, England's Manchester United and Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Italy's Juventus and Inter Milan, and Germany's Borussia Dortmund."
"……!"
"The big clubs who've seriously contacted me this winter to pay your buyout clause and take you."