The fall from grace of Girona's most expensive signing ever

GironaLast Saturday, as dusk was falling, Yasser Asprilla emerged from the Istanbul airport terminal. A multitude of Galatasaray fans awaited him, quickly embracing their new signing. Turkish supporters are incredibly passionate, and without having seen a single minute of the Colombian's playing time, they have already elevated him to sainthood. Limited by strict security measures protecting the footballer, they shouted and sang incessantly. All that was missing was confetti. The reception was worthy of a star. Asprilla, looking both happy and a little scared, crossed himself. At the same time, but more than 2,000 kilometers away, in Girona, they were content with a farewell that, for now, is temporary, as he is leaving on loan with a non-mandatory purchase option, but one that seems destined to become permanent.

Asprilla's time at Montilivi won't be remembered fondly. At least, not positively. He was one of the players chosen by the sporting management to build the Champions League squad. He had barely made a name for himself in two seasons at Watford, in the English Championship, where he scored 7 goals and provided 10 assists in 86 matches. These were average numbers for an attacking player, but he did generate expectations and produced a string of memorable plays that racked up countless views on YouTube. He had also made his debut for the national team. Girona, who at the time had plenty of money thanks to their European campaign and the sales of the big-name players who had helped them get there, made a big bet on the player, making him the most expensive signing in their history. They paid €18 million plus €7 million in add-ons. In fact, four of the seven most expensive signings the club has ever made arrived that summer: the Colombian was joined by Abel Ruiz, Krejci, and Miovski. A year and a half ago, all of them left, but today only Abel Ruiz remains, and with a minimal role. It was a terrible transfer window.

Asprilla never lived up to expectations, and in the 50 matches he wore the red and white jersey, scoring four goals and providing two assists, he never gave the impression of being integrated into the team. The team's results, which nearly resulted in relegation to the Second Division, didn't help matters either, and the Montilivi crowd turned on the new signings. During that time, coach Míchel Sánchez, in defense of the player, often argued that he shouldn't be judged solely on his transfer fee and also acknowledged that choosing the number 10 jersey was a mistake. "We made a mistake. You have to earn this number, you can't just give it away."

The breaking point with Girona's fans came in April, after a match in Pamplona that Girona lost 2-1 while flirting with relegation. Asprilla scored a consolation goal in the final play of the game and, hours later, posted a photo on social media with rockets and hearts to celebrate his goal, even though the team had lost and was in an even more precarious position than before. While the city suffered, he celebrated an individual effort that had amounted to nothing. Due to the ensuing backlash, he had to disable comments on the post. And throughout the following six months of competition, seeing that things weren't improving, he was constantly booed and whistled at: he was singled out for his lack of commitment.

Final days of the transfer window

Girona visits Oviedo, bottom of La Liga, this Saturday (2 PM, DAZN), in good form: they are undefeated in 2016, with three wins and a draw. Quique Cárcel and his staff have practically completed their work at the end of the winter transfer window and no major moves are expected. The arrivals of Ter Stegen, Claudio Echeverri, and Fran Beltrán are considered to have raised the team's level sufficiently. As for departures, that's also quite clear. Jhon Solís, goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic, and Yáser Asprilla will not play for the remainder of the season, in which the sole objective is to avoid relegation, if possible, while avoiding unnecessary drama in the final stretch.