Consequence of austerity policy
©IMAGO
Most fans associate Sevilla FC with European nights and titles in the Europa League – but the traditional club from Andalusia is threatened with relegation to the second Spanish league. Financial problems, the sale of top performers and inconsistency in the coaching position ensured Sevilla’s steady decline. A look at the remaining program is likely to increase concerns.
Sevilla FC’s relegation worries worsened last week. A 0:2 at penultimate UD Levante was followed by a 1:2 at CA Osasuna – which puts the club in 18th place in LaLiga. RCD Mallorca is only one point away in 17th place, but the rest of the program is tough. The five remaining games are against cup winners Real Sociedad (8th), Espanyol Barcelona (13th), FC Villarreal (3rd), Real Madrid (2nd) and Celta Vigo (6th). With an average ranking of 6.4, the toughest in LaLiga on paper. The competition FC Girona (10.8), Deportivo Alavés (11.2), Mallorca (12.8) and Levante (8.0) have it much easier. Sevilla have only won one of their last eight games – against Atlético Madrid, 2-1 in front of their home crowd.
“The club is in great danger of relegation. The three home games at the end of the season will be crucial,” says Iván Fuente, Area Manager Spain at Transfermarkt. Sevilla were last relegated in 2000, but managed to get promoted straight back. Between 2003/04 and 2021/22, the Rojiblancos always finished in a single-digit place in the table and were permanent guests in European competition. With two titles in the UEFA Cup and five in the Europa League, they are the record winners of the competition; their last success was celebrated in 2023. Since then, things have been steadily going downhill; last season the club narrowly escaped relegation with 17th place.
Sevilla’s problems: Weak transfer policy & the coaching position
According to Fuente, one of Sevilla’s biggest problems is their transfer policy. “The team has been getting weaker and weaker for several seasons. The best players have left the club and the club has not been able to sign equivalent replacements. In addition, spending on transfers has decreased significantly in recent years,” he explains. “For several seasons, the club has struggled with financial difficulties, both in terms of signing players and in complying with LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play rules.”
A few years ago the club was in a position to pay high fees for players. This culminated in the 2019/20 season, when new signings such as Jules Koundé (35 million, Bordeaux) and Rony Lopes (25 million, Monaco) came to Sevilla for 189 million euros. After the Covid pandemic, the club was forced to save, gradually reduced its expenses and relied on sales. Only 250,000 euros were paid for the eight new signings this season, most of them like Alexis Sánchez or César Azpilicueta were signed on free transfers, while Odysseas Vlachodimos and Neal Maupay came on loan. This compares to 54.8 million euros in income for the departures of top performers such as Loïc Badé (25 million, Leverkusen) or Dodi Lukébakio (20 million, Benfica). Only Real Sociedad’s transfer increase was even higher.
This austerity policy is also noticeable in the squad value. In the last five seasons this fell from 366 million to 140 million euros. The league placings since then: 4th, 11th, 13th, 17th and now 18th. This inconsistency is also reflected in the coaching position. The last trainer to be in office for more than 300 days was Julen Lopetegui between 2019 and 2022. Sevilla started the season with Matías Almeyda, who had to resign from his position at the end of March after 32 games with an average of 1.16 points. Things don’t really get any better under his successor Luis García: he picked up three points in four games. Since Lopetegui’s sacking in October 2022, Sevilla have had eight coaches.
Sevilla FC: Last hope of a sale?
So that Sevilla FC can return to its glory days, the club is to be sold. A group around ex-professional Sergio Ramos, who was trained in youth and played 87 games for the professionals, is said to be close to acquiring the Andalusians. For Fuente, Sevilla’s future is still worrying: “Even if the sale of the club does not appear to be in danger in the event of relegation, Sevilla would find itself in a very worrying position. Financially, LaLiga’s relegation aid would cushion part of the problem, but there would be a significant drop in income, especially from TV rights. The squad would have to be rebuilt and adapted to the lower league, with the added pressure of so quickly to return to the top flight as possible.”
