In a country where so many clubs are handicapped by financial issues and strict spending caps, Deportivo de A Coruña’s summer transfer window has almost entirely redefined the rulebook, in terms of what can be possible for promoted clubs in La Liga.
Their early performances on the pitch haven’t been too shabby either. Antonio Hidalgo’s side are unbeaten in four games and riding high in fifth place after a shock 3-2 victory at Villarreal last time out.
No club has ever finished in the top five after winning promotion to the Primera Division in the 21st Century. While it’s still very early days, Depor have all the hallmarks of a club intent on immediately thriving, rather than merely surviving, following an eight-year absence from the top tier.
An extraordinary transfer window
Both in terms of the scale of their spending and the calibre of players they’ve managed to attract to the Riazor, it has been a jaw-dropping summer in A Coruña.
A total transfer spend of €26m dwarfs anything we’ve seen from promoted clubs in recent years. As a point of reference, Real Oviedo and Levante spent less than €10m between them in the summer 2025 window following promotion. Depor’s net spend of €25.5m was also the fourth-highest in all of La Liga, behind only Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid.
The Galicians have also been able to add several players on high salaries via loan deals and free transfers. That has led to many questioning just how a club that was in the third tier as recently as 2024 has managed to invest so heavily, while not falling foul of La Liga’s strict limits.
The club certainly benefits from being owned by ABANCA, a major Spanish bank. They cleared historic debts in 2024, while around €30m of fresh equity was injected into the club in February of this year.
Spending four years in the third tier at the beginning of the 2020s, before swiftly making the next jump up from the Segunda Division in just two years, also means Depor don’t have any expensive outstanding contractual obligations. Such issues have contributed to the problems at many established top-flight clubs, who have much less wiggle room beneath La Liga’s salary limits.
Throw in the large jump in TV and commercial revenue following their promotion, and debt-free Depor are in a pretty good place in terms of the balance sheet.
While not an identical scenario, it is worth noting that fellow new boys Racing Santander have also been in a position to be bold in the transfer market with around €17m spent this summer. However, that was largely offset by the late sale of Gustavo Puerta to Olympiacos.
Depor’s summer signings
| In | From | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Leo Roman | Mallorca | €9m |
| Bright Ede | Motor Lublin | €6m |
| Jonathan Asp Jensen | Bayern Munich II | €6m |
| Lorenzo Amatucci | Fiorentina | €2.5m |
| Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang | Marseille | €1.5m |
| Teun Gijselhart | De Graafschap | €1m |
| Angeliño | Roma | Loan |
| Jose Maria Gimenez | Atletico Madrid | Loan |
| Marc Casado | Barcelona | Loan |
| Adama Traore | West Ham | Free |
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s arrival in July helped set the ball rolling for Depor and strongly suggested this was not going to be a regular window at the Riazor. They also spent big on a new goalkeeper in the shape of Leo Roman, already an established performer in La Liga at the age of 25.
Many of their signings were indicative of a club planning beyond this season, which again is a rare luxury for newly promoted sides. Of the other four players who arrived for a transfer fee, none were over the age of 22.
Buoyed by their strong start on the pitch, Depor were also able to attract Marc Casado and Jose Maria Gimenez to the club on loan deals late in the window. Both are capable of being absolutely key figures for Os Branquiazuis this term.
Aubameyang the inspiration as Depor hit the ground running
One of the standout performers across the opening four matchdays in La Liga has unquestionably been Aubameyang. He has scored in every game and also registered two assists with some moments of sheer quality easing any fears about his ability to deliver the goods at the age of 37.
The Gabonese forward already feels like something of a cult figure in A Coruña, where he has even been filmed playing football with local kids during his time off.
Following opening draws against Elche and Malaga when Hidalgo’s team didn’t exactly set the world on fire, Depor have looked more assured in their past two games. A 3-1 victory over Valencia was immediately followed by their 3-2 success at the Ceramica.
With so many new players still being bedded in, a return of eight points is far above anything the 47-year-old coach could have expected at this stage.
Aside from some of the bigger-name additions, Lorenzo Amatucci already looks like an absolute steal at just €2.5m from Fiorentina. He has been composed in possession in midfield with a pass completion rate of 91%, while the 22-year-old Italian is also averaging 3.3 tackles per game, the highest figure in the Depor squad.
The best performances by promoted clubs in La Liga in the 21st century
| Rank | Club | Season | La Liga finish | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Celta Vigo | 2005/06 | 6th | 64 |
| 2. | Real Betis | 2001/02 | 6th | 59 |
| 3. | Villarreal | 2013/14 | 6th | 59 |
| 4. | Villarreal | 2000/01 | 7th | 57 |
| 5. | Granada | 2019/20 | 7th | 56 |
| 6. | Malaga | 2008/09 | 8th | 55 |
| 7. | Getafe | 2017/18 | 8th | 55 |
| 8. | Recreativo Huelva | 2006/07 | 8th | 54 |
| 9. | Sevilla | 2001/02 | 8th | 53 |
| 10. | Almeria | 2007/08 | 8th | 52 |
16 clubs have come up and finished in the top 10 in La Liga in the 21st Century, with some of those even managing to qualify for Europe. On the other side of Galicia, Celta Vigo set the bar with their sixth-place finish and impressive 64-point haul as a promoted team in the 2005/06 season.
Depor would need to have a fantastic campaign to match that, but given the quality they’ve brought in, a top-half finish does not feel like an unreasonable objective.
Given the significant financial backing they can both rely on, Os Branquiazuis can also take inspiration from Villarreal, who have twice won promotion and immediately finished in the top seven.
Meanwhile, Granada were the last club to achieve that feat as a promoted side, with the Andalusians qualifying for the Europa League under Diego Martinez in the 2019/20 season.
Depor travel to Getafe this weekend, before hosting the two Seville clubs prior to the international break. With Casado yet to start a game and their 23-year-old attacking star Yeremay Hernandez in a similar boat as he builds up his fitness, there is plenty more to come from this team.
While the times when Depor would routinely challenge at the top end of La Liga won’t return overnight, this is a club that has taken some huge leaps forward over the past 12 months. After many barren years in the second and third tiers, the good times might just be returning to this distant corner of Spain.
Mark Sochon is an experienced football writer and has been the editor of LaLigaExpert.com since 2018. Based in Madrid, he has been covering La Liga and Spanish football for more than a decade. Aside from writing most of the content here, he also covers La Liga and European competitions for Goal and Betfred, while his work has previously been published by the likes of the Guardian and World Soccer.
During his time in Spain, he has travelled up and down the country, attending matches in virtually every top-flight stadium. His areas of expertise include data-led match predictions and probability analysis, as well as Spanish football team news, with La Liga predicted lineups researched and published each week. | Follow Mark Sochon on X