Hercules Officially Signs Puch but Uncertain of Debut Date

Hercules officially announced on Wednesday the signing of Algerian midfielder Mehdi Puch for the next two seasons. However, this does not mean the midfielder is ready to compete, as his registration has not yet been processed. In fact, he will not be available for this Sunday's derby against Eldense, which kicks off at 16:15 and will be broadcast by À Punt.

Puch, who has been training under Rubén Torrecilla for a month, became a free agent in August following the administrative relegation of French club Ajaccio, which was demoted six divisions due to its massive debt. Although the midfielder is currently unemployed, this status was officially recognized on September 2. However, Hercules and his representatives argue that he was effectively unemployed from August 20, the day Ajaccio's relegation from the French second division was confirmed.

Everything now depends on the French Federation's understanding and approval by the Spanish Federation. The processes are underway, and a resolution is awaited. In the worst-case scenario, Hercules would not be able to use Puch until the transfer window reopens in January. However, the club is in urgent need as the midfield has been severely weakened by Roger Colomina's clavicle fracture, which will keep him out until January.

Apart from Puch's official signing, which was an open secret since last week, Hercules is meticulously preparing for this Sunday's derby in Elda against a rival that has improved significantly since veteran Claudio Barragán took over as coach. Meanwhile, Torrecilla faces the match once again heavily affected by injuries. Hercules' coach welcomes back Javi Jiménez for the left-back position but will be without the following injured players: right-back Jorge Galvañ, centre-back Alejandro Sotillos, midfielder Roger Colomina, winger Nico Espinosa, and attacking midfielder Oriol Soldevila.

Despite this extensive list of absentees, two pieces of good news have emerged from Hercules' medical department in recent hours. Firstly, Galvañ does not have a muscle tear and could potentially return for next week's match against Betis B. Additionally, academy player Nico Espinosa is responding well to his first week of training with the group and is expected to get minutes against Betis B or in Tarragona against Nàstic.