The Future of Espanyol: Analyzing their Summer 2025 Business

After narrowly avoiding relegation in their return to LaLiga, it looks set to be a busy summer window for Espanyol. Joan García is set to depart for Catalan rivals Barcelona, whilst other players like Omar El Hilali and Roberto Fernández could be headed for the exit door. In terms of incomings, however, one player in particular looks set to join Espanyol this summer: Marcos Fernández.

Having scored 10 goals in 33 matches for Betis’ youth team in the Spanish third tier, Fernández looks set to join Espanyol on a free transfer. In this article, we will be looking at Marcos’ performances this season and how he may fit into Espanyol.

Name: Marcos Fernández

Position: Center Forward

Country: Spain

Age: 22

Height: 176cm

Preferred Foot: Right

Context: Betis signed Marcos Fernández at a young age from Nástic, where he has been playing for the past 3 seasons in their B team.

Data

Radar chart of Marcos Fernández at Betis B. (Wyscout, 2025).

This chart shows us Marcos Fernández’s profile, and as we can see, he stands out in xG and shots per 90, which tells us that he is very good at getting in positions where he is likely to score goals. However, he lacks the ability to generate opportunities for his teammates, ranking in the 1st percentile for both key plays and xA per 90. Furthermore, he is unable to win aerial duels, nor is he a good player on the ball when looking at his dribbling stats.

Heatmap of Marcos Fernández at Betis B. (Sofascore, 2025).

This image tells us about Marcos Fernández’s positioning this season. We can see a player who does not tend to move to the wings but rather prefers to stay more central and is also highly present in the box around the penalty spot, where he is most dangerous, as we saw before with his high xG values.

Video

In the video footage, we can see that Marcos Fernández is an excellent player on the ball, and loves to participate and help his team by offering numerical superiority rather than looking for balls in behind the defense. Usually, this comes with him receiving the ball with his back to goal, and playing a pass to the third man, who can then carry the ball forward.

However, he is also capable of turning around and finding a player further up the pitch, as he usually doesn’t carry the ball. However, this does not happen very often, as he is marked very closely by his center back, given that he is very good with the ball at his feet.

Furthermore, in the box, he is very clever with his movement to attack the ball, a testament to his high xG values. Also, if the ball is given to him in an unfavourable position, he is able to generate a chance with his dribbling and movement in the box.

Off-the-ball, he is a very active player, always pressing and participating in many duels with the center backs. He is relentless with his pressing, which can be seen in this action, leading to a regain of possession for his team.

Overall, Marcos Fernández is an excellent player technically and has the game intelligence to use this ability. Furthermore, he is very good in the box, which is essential for a center forward, though his height does mean that he isn’t as effective with crosses from afar. 

Nonetheless, he is also a very disciplined player and is constantly participating in duels and trying to win possession.

Espanyol

When looking at Espanyol’s center forwards with over 800 minutes:

Radar charts of Roberto Fernández and Alejo Véliz. (FBref, 2025).

We can observe here two types of players, with Alejo Véliz being an excellent player in the air but lacking the most important ability of a striker, which is to score goals and get into goal-scoring positions.

Meanwhile, Roberto Fernández has scored many goals, however, his xG is very low, which tells us he has been quite lucky in scoring the number of goals he has scored. Furthermore, he is an average player aerially, as well as when it comes to dribbling. For next season, Espanyol have no strikers, given that their three forwards, Roberto Fernández, Alejo Véliz, and Walid Cheddira, are all on loan.

I believe that Marcos Fernández could become an excellent striker if put in the right system. According to the data, Espanyol have a counterattacking style of play, where I do think that Marcos Fernández can be effective as he is great at receiving the ball, and giving his teammates space to attack, as well as providing the ability to score goals. With Espanyol lacking any center forwards come next season, I do think Marcos Fernández is a good player and is a good signing for the club.

By: Juan Fernandez Valencia / @ScoutLaLiga1

Featured Image: @GabFoligno / NurPhoto