Hope #3: That Gabriel Mercado can replace Coke.
For the past five seasons Coke has been the rock of the Sevilla defense. The Spanish right-back did pretty much everything that was ever asked of him. Whether it was making a deep run into enemy territory, tracking back on a counter-attack, or occasionally laying in a professional tackle Coke was very much the ultimate utility man of the Sevilla doing whatever it takes to win.
But as happens so many times with Sevilla and other clubs of their size and stature Coke was sold this offseason to Schalke 04. While Coke certainly wasn’t the only player to leave Sevilla (more on that in a bit) there was perhaps no greater loss. Filling his void will be no easy task and perhaps will be the biggest of objective of season one of the Sampaoli tenure.
Of the current crop of players on the roster Gabriel Mercado is the best fit for what Sampaoli wants. Outside backs in Sampaoli’s system are very much a part of the attack and are expected to contribute on both sides of the pitch. In his five years with Argentine club side River Plate Mercado always showed a willingness to create opportunities on the attack. He also has a cracking right foot and can deliver crosses into the box with relative ease.
The one thing that Mercado is going to need to work on is watching attackers on the counter-attack. He isn’t the fastest right-back and did get burned at times while playing for Argentina at the Copa America Centenario. The good news is that is fixable as it will likely require him just to time his runs better and not get lost in the attacking third. Getting the chance to work with Adil Rami, Sergio Escudero, and Mariano will also help.
Coke is certainly an exceptional player. But this is not the first time that Sevilla have lost a quality player to the transfer window.