In a few months, Rastar Group will celebrate a decade at the helm of Espanyol. A journey full of ups and downs, marked by two relegations, two promotions, and one European qualification. Chen Yansheng, owner of the Chinese holding company and also of the blue and white club since late 2015, has not set foot in Barcelona for almost three years, but from his offices in Guangzhou, he oversees and closely monitors all decisions related to the club's management. No momentous decision is authorized without his approval, whether it's a signing for the first team or a new sponsorship.

Espanyol's summer market will have two undisputed protagonists, the two main architects of the permanence. On the one hand, Joan Garcia, a series that will be resolved when one of the clubs willing to pay his release is able to entice him. The Cornellà-El Prat offices have been considering his departure for months, and now we just have to wait and see what his destination will be. Meanwhile, and no less important, the renewal of Javi Puado, considered the priority deal of this market.

Joan Garcia will have no shortage of suitors this summer. The architect of Espanyol's permanence, However, he will have to make a vital decision: leave the club of his life as a hero or break the hearts of a fan base that has idolized him. His conditions and the excellent performances offered this season, in which he was the goalkeeper with the second most saves in the five major European leagues (146, only surpassed by the 153 of Mark Flekken, of Brentford), caught the attention of a good handful of European clubs willing to pay his release clause of 25 million. At just 24 years old, the goalkeeper from Sallent will be one of the bargains in this market.

Espanyol is in the First Division. And they will remain so next season despite suffering more than expected (2-0) to end up beating an already relegated Las Palmas. Puado and Pere Milla came to the rescue of the Blue and Whites with two late goals that served to break the deadlock in a match that was heading for tragedy. On an afternoon of suffering, Cornellà-El Prat went from nerves to final euphoria. Espanyol won the final to secure survival thanks mainly to two notable names, Joan Garcia and Puado. The goalkeeper and the striker, who will probably not stay next season, close out the season as the main architects of their survival. Both ended up being cheered by the Blue and White fans, who filled the RCDE Stadium pitch once the referee blew the final whistle. The goalkeeper, who hinted at his departure after the match, sent a message to the board: they need to invest more in reinforcements.

Cornellà-El Prat will be dressed to the nines to host its first relegation final. In its brief history of almost sixteen years, it has hosted one European qualification, two relegations, and two promotions, but until now, it hasn't had the opportunity to host the final of a La Liga match in which Espanyol is playing for its life on the final day. The Blue and Whites, who need to match or better the result Leganés gets against Valladolid against Las Palmas, are looking for heroes for another heart-stopping afternoon of transistor radios.

Espanyol will be playing for all or nothing on the final matchday. After accumulating five consecutive defeats, the latest of which was at El Sadar, the Blue and Whites will need to match or better the result obtained by Leganés against Valladolid in the visit of the also relegated Las Palmas to the RCDE Stadium this Saturday (6:30 p.m., 3Cat). A priori, a favorable scenario, although managing anxiety will be key. A head-to-head match in which the fight for survival will be decided. A final in which Espanyol will be playing for a large part of its immediate and medium-term future.

Espanyol are making things difficult for themselves and will have to fight for survival on the final matchday. The Blue and Whites were the only team involved in the fight for survival that didn't do their job: they fell 2-0 at Sadar and spent the penultimate bullet they had left to secure their continued presence in the top flight. Their fifth consecutive defeat, combined with the victories of Alavés and Getafe—already mathematically secured—and, especially, Leganés' victory at Las Palmas, forces Manolo González's team to match the Madrid side's result from the last matchday. Both teams will host relegated opponents: Espanyol against Las Palmas, Leganés against Valladolid.

Barça are back in La Liga, two years later, thanks to a win at Cornellà-El Prat. The effectiveness of the match was impressive. There was no sardana, but there was a timid Barça celebration on the pitch, which was cut short by the sprinklers and the Espanyol players, who, along with Hansi Flick, urged the Blaugranas to go to the locker room to celebrate La Liga with the RCDE Copa del Rey and Spanish Super Cup.

When this year's LaLiga schedule was released, Espanyol fans were somewhat wary of the fact that the second of this year's derbies was scheduled with just three rounds remaining. This meant it could be a key match in the fight for survival. Some Barça fans, meanwhile, dreamed of the possibility of winning the title again at their city rivals' ground, as happened in 2023.

Espanyol takes an early nap and complicates things for themselves. On a Sunday to forget, the Blue and Whites fell resoundingly at Butarque (3-2) in a disastrous match that forces the postponement of the women's team's mathematical survival for a few more days. Sara Monforte's team fell to Athletic Club, but were able to celebrate their continued presence in the top flight thanks to Betis' defeat against Barça. Next Thursday, Manolo González's men will need to win against Barça to secure their survival. Otherwise, they will have to wait until the final two matchdays to secure a goal that is within reach, but not yet fully secured.

Espanyol can enjoy a double celebration this Sunday. In a matter of two hours, their first teams, both men's and women's, will have their hands full securing their continued presence in the First Division and the F League, respectively, this weekend. Sara Monforte's team visits Athletic Club (12 p.m., Movistar+), while Manolo González's team will head to Butarque (2 p.m., DAZN). Less than a year after returning to the Spanish football elite, both teams are looking to secure their place in the league without suffering more than necessary thanks to the cushion of points they maintain against relegation. Espanyol takes out their calculator: what do they need this weekend?

Espanyol will have to wait at least a week to celebrate their survival. The Blue and Whites came away empty-handed after seeing two moments of individual brilliance help Betis turn things around in the final five minutes, a match they had come close to winning (1-2). A bitter defeat, but a fair one, considering the high number of chances enjoyed by the Andalusians, who did everything possible to subdue an overly conservative Espanyol. It is their first defeat at the RCDE Stadium since late October, when they fell to Sevilla. Relegation remains seven points away with twelve points left to play for.

He's Andalusian, wears the number 2 and celebrates goals like Gaizka Toquero, but if there's one Espanyol striker who reminds you of Roberto Fernández (Puente Genil, Córdoba, 2002), it's probably Raúl Tamudo, due to his mischievous style and ability to invent goals out of thin air. In just five months, the Andalusian has become one of the most successful winter signings for the blue and white club in the 21st century. He has five goals in 13 games, one more than RDT (2019-20), the same as Iván Alonso (2008-09), and just one more than Kalu Uche's six (2011-12) and Dani Osvaldo's seven (2009-10) in the century.

He's Andalusian, wears the number 2 and celebrates goals like Gaizka Toquero, but if there's one Espanyol striker who reminds you of Roberto Fernández (Puente Genil, Córdoba, 2002), it's probably Raúl Tamudo, due to his mischievous style and ability to invent goals out of thin air. In just five months, the Andalusian has become one of the most successful winter signings for the blue and white club in the 21st century. He has five goals in 13 games, one more than RDT (2019-20), the same as Iván Alonso (2008-09), and just one of Kalu Uche's six (2011-12) and two of Dani Osvaldo's seven (2009-2012).

Espanyol's celebration of their survival will have to wait a few more days. The Blue and Whites failed to pick up a single point from their 1-0 visit to La Cerámica, where a solitary goal from Yeremy Pino helped the home side move into fifth place. This was a relatively easy obstacle for Espanyol, who still maintain a generous cushion of seven points above the relegation zone with just fifteen points left to play.

If Espanyol is close to survival with six games left in La Liga, it's largely thanks to having become the team with the best shooting in Europe. And that's no exaggeration. Manolo González's men are the most accurate shooters in Europe's top five leagues. They are the team that needs to shoot the fewest times on target to find the back of the net: they score a goal every 2.34 shots on target. They narrowly surpass Newcastle United (2.35) and two Champions League semi-finalists, Inter Milan (2.38) and Barça (2.44), who have the same ratio as Borussia Dortmund.

Espanyol took another step toward continuing their history in the First Division. The Blue and Whites scraped a 1-1 draw at Mestalla in a match in which they took the lead, but which became more difficult for them in the second half. The home side's response demanded the best performance from the Espanyol defense, but also some worthy saves from Joan Garcia, who is making a great showing in every game his team plays. Another unbeaten matchday for Espanyol, who will sleep eight points above the relegation zone.

Espanyol rebels against artificial intelligence. For more than seven months, most AI-based predictive models pointed to the Blue and White team as one of the most likely to be relegated to the Second Division this season. What these predictions, which are basically based on betting market data and historical rankings, didn't take into account was the character and development that Manolo González's team would show on the pitch.

The first gift Ramon Terrats (Barcelona, ​​​​2000) received at birth was an Espanyol membership card. He was only a few hours old when his uncle, José Luis, made him a season ticket holder. Twenty-four years later, the Barcelona native, Espanyol member number 6,031, is one of the main arguments for José Bordalás' Getafe, who are closer to the European places, just four points, than to relegation, ten. The Madrid team, almost saved, will visit an RCDE Stadium that wants to prolong the sweet hangover of an Espanyol who, after winning in Vallecas and Balaídos, wants to put their survival on track this Friday (9 p.m., DAZN).

Espanyol has taken another giant step towards staying in the First Division. After storming Vallecas, the Blue and Whites reaffirmed their improved away performance at Balaídos (0-2) with a valuable victory that moves them six points clear of relegation. In Vigo, Manolo González's men once again demonstrated that they have lost their fear of playing away from home, showing defensive solidity—a second consecutive clean sheet—and their attacking acumen. Roberto Fernández and Joan Garcia dominated the areas and gave even more hope to a team that is coming into the season on a tear and will play four of their five matches away from the RCDE Stadium this month. It had been seven years, since 2018, since Espanyol had not had two consecutive away wins in the First Division.