European soccer never ceases to surprise when it comes to strategic moves in the transfer market. In a particularly busy summer for many LaLiga teams, some clubs are looking to make a leap in quality by bringing in experienced talent hungry to show their worth on demanding stages. This is the case for Celta de Vigo, which doesn't want its hard-earned qualification for European competition to become a mere fanciful stroll.
The departure of young prospects always sparks debate among the fans, especially when there are multimillion-euro deals involved. The recent transfer of Fer López to Wolverhampton has brought €25 million ($25 million) into Celta's coffers, an income that allows the club from Vigo to approach the transfer market from a position of strength and with renewed hopes. Under the direction of Marco Garcés and coach Claudio Giráldez, the club is looking to rebuild its attack with a different profile, capable of linking up and providing decisive goals.
While waiting to finalize the arrival of Bryan Zaragoza and after confirming the signings of Ilaix Moriba and goalkeeper Ionut Radu, the sporting management has moved quickly to secure a striker who knows Spanish soccer well and who has been on the radar of several LaLiga teams in recent years, Ferran Jutglà.
Ferran Jutglà's signing: data, figures, and context of the transfer
The name that has caused the most buzz at Balaídos these days is Ferran Jutglà, a 26-year-old Catalan striker who, after four seasons in Belgian soccer, returns to Spain with the goal of leading Celta's attack. The deal, reported by various outlets such as Mundo Deportivo, has been closed at around €7 million ($7 million), placing the Sant Julià de Vilatorta native among the most expensive signings in the history of the Vigo club.
The transfer not only represents a quality reinforcement for Celta, but also brings benefits to FC Barcelona, a club that kept a 10% share of the capital gain from Jutglà's sale to Brugge in 2022. Barça will receive approximately €200,000 ($200,000) thanks to this move, a figure that adds to the recent strategic sales made by the Catalan entity in recent markets.
Trained in Espanyol's youth academy and with a brief but notable spell at Barça B, Ferran Jutglà arrives in Vigo after establishing himself at Brugge as a versatile striker with impressive numbers: 40 goals and 24 assists in 148 official matches. His best records came in his first year in Belgium, with 15 goals in all competitions, followed by 11 and 14 goals in the next two seasons, always keeping a regular presence in European competitions.
It's no coincidence that teams like Girona, Valencia, Real Sociedad, or even Villarreal have shown interest in his profile during different transfer windows. In fact, Girona was very close to securing his signing both last summer and this one, but in the end, Celta moved ahead. The Galician club's bet responds to the need to add a striker who can adapt to different systems: Jutglà can play any position in the attacking line, although he performs especially well as a center forward.