R Sociedad begins on the 7th of 2025-2026 What is the current situation in the team? Also paying attention to Kubo's trends – A travelogue from Spain – Overseas soccer column: Daily Sports
After finishing last season with unwilling results, the Real Sociedad players are refreshing their spirits on a fleeting holiday and are early on in preparation for the new season.
■An expedition to the UK on a Japan tour
The team will begin the preseason on July 7th (players who participated in the national team match in June, including Kubo Takefusa, will join later), and will hold test matches, including the Japan Tour and the UK tour. Their opponents are Poe (France 2nd Division), V. Falane Nagasaki, Yokohama FC, Osasuna, Rennes and Bournemouth (2 matches) with seven teams.
Last season, R Sociedad, who missed out on the right to compete in the European Cup for the first time in six seasons, has retired from Imanor Alguacil, who led the team for six and a half years, and Sergio Francescisco, who had been the new leader of the B team, has become manager.
The team is undergoing a change of manager after a long time, but there hasn't been much movement in terms of member formation. The only member of last season left the team was Agerudo, who had arrived on loan from West Ham.
In addition, Subimendi's move to Arsenal in the middle of the game is decisive, with Bryce Mendes and unaffiliated Becker likely leaving, while Remiro has been targeted by Aston Villa but has expressed his intention to remain.
Kubo is also one of the people who is being discussed as a possibility of leaving the team, but most of the reports about his future are from media that are doubtful of credibility. There is little specific information from major Spanish letters or local newspapers of clubs.
■North midfielder and CF are required
The progress of reinforcement is not very good. With the departure of Agerudo and Subimendi and the offensive team that failed last season, it is considered necessary to acquire a center back, midfielder and center forward on the ground. However, considering that revenues are expected to decrease by approximately 40 million (approximately 6.8 billion yen), and that the number of matches will be significantly reduced, with only the Spanish league and the Copa del Rey being participating in, it may be inevitable that the reinforcement will slow down.
At the moment, they have not signed a contract with anyone, and only two centre-backs who are expected to replace Agerudo have specific names to be named.
It has been reported that Brighton's Brazilian defender Igor Julio is about to reach an agreement. His polyvalent ability to play at left-back is likely to be an attractive element for R Sociedad, as Javi Lopez, who he acquired last summer, did not perform as expected.
The other is Argentinian defender Marcos Senesi from Bournemouth. Although he has a history as a national team player, he has not been able to play much last season, and is likely to be able to sign until next year.
Other names have been mentioned in the midfield, including Girona's Spanish midfielder Ivan Martin, Augsburg's Croatian forward Dion Bello, Getafe's Spanish forward Borja Majoral, Spanish forward Javi Poard, and Atletico Madrid's Spanish forward Rodrigo Riquelme, but none of them have been specified.
■Team B has been promoted to second division
Meanwhile, Sadique (Valencia), Carlos Fernandez (Caddis, second division), de Zarate (Espanyol), and Caricabre (Racin Santander, second division) have returned from the transfer on loan. The club is considering selling the former two, but Sadiq in particular is especially likely to be an obstacle to his transfer fee and high annual salary, so it will not be easy.
In addition, midfielder Gorochategi, who was in the second division's Milandes, is likely to be promoted to the top team, while Magna Seraia, who spent the second half of last season in Cordoba, has transferred to second division Eibar.
As the reinforcement movement slows, the fact that Team B has been promoted to the second division is a positive factor indicating the high abilities of the younger organization and the presence of promising players (※R Sociedads of the first division club are the only teams in the second division this season). In fact, manager Sergio Francisco led the team until the end of last season, and it is speculated that multiple players could be promoted to the top team, including right-back Luperez, center-back Beitia, left-back Barda, midfielder Goti and Mikel Rodriguez.
At this point, manager Sergio Francisco's tactics and systems are unknown, but the fact that he played Group 1 in the third division league to the 34th round last season and boasted the smallest goals conceded, may be an important factor in understanding the team's concept.
The system was more extensive than previous manager Alguacil, and it changed depending on the opponent and the match situation, with 4-2-3-1, 4-5-1, 3-4-3, and 3-5-2. If he fights as flexible as last season, Kubo could be used in a variety of positions.
With less than a week left until the preseason start, there are still concerns about the reinforcement situation, but we look forward to the start of the season, looking forward to the kind of team that will be led by manager Sergio Francisco.
[Takahashi Tomoyuki](Nickan Sports.com/Soccer Column “Soccer Journey from Spain”)
