Sport
JESE IS STUTTERING LAS PALMAS’ LATEST HIGH PROFILE GAMBLE
Paris-Saint Germain shelled out 25 million euros in the summer for the signature of Jese Rodriguez. Plucked from Real Madrid by their new Spanish boss Unai Emery, the Gran Canaria-born forward often had questions raised about his temperament – while being unable to offer the consistent quality required to make up for his personal shortcomings.
The switch to France did not work out, leading to the Spaniard being put in the shop window in January. It was tough to see who might be interested in a player who is down on his luck. Las Palmas, Jese’s local club, were willing to take a chance, however, signing the 23-year-old on loan until the end of the season.
While perhaps lacking in terms of colourful performances on the field of play, Jese has been rapping under the names of ‘Big Flow’ and ‘Jey M’ over the last few years, adding even further personality to what is a squad which has real identity. Quickly, Las Palmas are looking like the go-to-club for players who are struggling to find their way.
TURNING IT AROUND
Kevin-Prince Boateng was picked up on a free transfer in the summer by Quique Setien, after having troublesome spells with Schalke and Milan where questions were raised about his attitude. At the Bundesliga club, the Ghana international was eventually sacked – despite his obvious footballing talent. Alen Halilovic joined the group on loan last month, after a disappointing spell at Hamburg, and is looking to find his own footballing home.
Boateng, Jese and Halilovic need not worry about whether it is possible to settle in and find their form at Las Palmas, as they already play alongside a success story who followed a path not to dissimilar to themselves. After Sergio Araujo’s January departure to AEK Athens, however, they also have an example of what misbehaving and failing to knuckle down can result in.
VIERA SHINING
There is certainly a case for Jonathan Viera being one of the more technically gifted players in LaLiga, outside of Real Madrid and Barcelona’s squads. Back in 2010, the fresh-faced Spaniard was plying his trade for Las Palmas in the Spanish second division, after previously playing for the club’s second team further down the Spanish league system.
Viera’s obvious potential saw him feature for Spain’s U21 side at the 2011 European Championship, where he played just seven minutes, with two second-tier campaigns enough for Valencia to justify gambling on signing the young midfielder.
In his first LaLiga season, Viera started just seven matches in a disappointing year, before being sent out on loan to link up with ex-Las Palmas coach Paco Jemez at Rayo Vallecano. There, he played a much more important role, but after 26 top-flight appearances in the 2013/2014 campaign he returned home to Gran Canaria.
Viera helped Las Palmas to push into first division immediately under Francisco Herrera, and has since become vital to the team playing well and creating opportunities after settling in. Armed with technical ability and an eye for a pass, the 27-year-old offers identity and talent to make his side’s easy-on-the-eye football possible.
JESE – ONE OF OUR OWN
Jese may be two years younger than Viera was when he turned prodigal son, but his potential is mightily similar. The Spaniard offers work rate, can cover a lot of ground up top and offers both neat footwork and a direct pace with his dribbling. A killer edge to his play has been missing, but these things can be helped by a much-needed confidence boost.
9000 fans turned out for Jese’s presentation last week, an unprecedented amount for a team who pull in attendances of around 20,000 on LaLiga matchdays. They have one of their own back temporarily, and they have learned not to take incoming players on face value. Las Palmas are quickly becoming a welcoming home for players who have lost their way in their footballing career.
PSG was an unforgiving and high-pressure environment, and some players aren’t mentally cut out for such atmospheres. Expectations were also a huge factor at the Santiago Bernabeu, where Jese couldn’t break into the first-team and earn his place to help Zinedine Zidane’s squad moving forward. After a rough couple of seasons, Gran Canaria looks to be the perfect place for Jese to try and settle himself and lay a foundation for future success.
Setien believes in a squad identity, which has already seen Boateng flourish during the early months of his LaLiga career, and Jese should fit in nicely. Once he gets underway with a first goal for the club, the rest should come naturally.
