Hercules Will Not Enter the Free Agent Market to Replace Soldevila

Hercules will not enter the free agent market to replace Oriol Soldevila's long-term absence. The club's technical department has initially reviewed the list of unattached players, but none have been deemed suitable. Hercules prefers to wait until January to strengthen the squad with a higher-category player who hasn't played in the first half of the season.

Soldevila's serious injury last Saturday has significantly disrupted Hercules' plans. Despite their victory over Villarreal B, the team remains in relegation positions to Segunda RFEF. Soldevila is the highest-paid player and a key figure in the squad. Both owner Enrique Ortiz and technical secretary Paco Peña were keen on keeping him at Hercules rather than moving to a Second Division team prematurely. Now, those plans have been shattered after he tore his knee's cruciate ligament in a freak incident shortly after scoring twice to secure the win against the yellow reserve team.

The medical staff have confirmed that Soldevila's season is over, and coach Rubén Torrecilla will rely on forwards like Jeremy de León, Aranda, or Rojas until January. Captain Nico Espinosa, who is nearing the end of his recovery, might soon join this list.

The Catalan's severe injury wiped the smiles off Hercules players' faces after their 2-1 victory over Villarreal B. The locker room is deeply affected, rallying around the forward in recent hours, and aims to dedicate a win to him in Wednesday's match against Atlético Madrileño, which kicks off at 19:00 at Rico Pérez.

Soldevila was in his second season with Hercules and was the team's top scorer last year with eleven goals. Misfortune struck him last year as well, with a broken toe sidelining him for nearly three months. That injury now seems minor compared to the much more severe cruciate ligament tear, which also involves meniscal damage.