Alvarito Packs His Bags

End of the road for Álvaro Hernáiz, known as Alvarito, at Hércules. The Madrid-born winger's contract is up, and he will not be offered a renewal, thus departing the blanquiazul club with 96 matches played and 15 goals scored.

Alvarito joined Hércules in the summer of 2022 and, alongside goalkeeper Carlos Abad, was the only standout in a dreadful 22-23 season under Ángel Rodríguez and Lolo Escobar. His 32 matches and six goals earned him a place in Rubén Torrecilla's project, and during the promotion campaign, he also made his mark with another six goals, although his starts were limited to 18. In the recently concluded season, Alvarito started only 12 matches and saw his goal tally drop to three. The Madrid player began the league as a right-back in Samu Vázquez's absence but failed to convince Torrecilla in that position and couldn't secure a spot in the line-up, with Nico Espinosa, Javi Moreno, and Oriol Soldevila ahead of him.

Alvarito leaves Hércules at 27, on the brink of 100 matches as a blanquiazul, respected by the fans and beloved in the locker room. However, the club believes the market will offer players who can provide a quality boost to achieve the goal of fighting for promotion.

The departure of the Madrid player will not be the only one. Centre-backs Josema Gómez and Abraham del Moral are not in the plans, nor are forward Dani Romera or midfielder Mario García. Additionally, there are many uncertainties and few certainties in the engine room. Only Catalan Roger Colomina, under contract until 2028, and Cameroonian Ben Hamed, signed from Amorebieta, are assured of their place in the squad. Alicante's Carlos Mangada is under contract but has not enjoyed continuity under Torrecilla in the last two seasons, while José Artiles is liked by the coach but has yet to be offered a renewal.

Meanwhile, sporting director Paco Peña is still awaiting a positive response from Javi Moreno. The Almeria winger has had a renewal offer on the table for several weeks but continues to hold out for proposals from the second division. Hércules has already informed the attacker that he will be one of the highest-paid players in the squad after standing out this season with five goals and numerous assists.