Girona forward proving a bargain as Blanquivermells top La Liga | OneFootball

Girona were expected for many to have an uphill battle simply to maintain their midtable finish last season, having lost their top scorer in Taty Castellanos, Atletico Madrid star Rodrigo Riquelme and midfield lynchpin Oriol Romeu. Yet Sporting Director Quique Carcel, with the help of the City Group, has demonstrated his ability, and is a key part of the reason Girona find themselves top.

Beyond the loan signing of Savio Moreira, who has proven a revelationa and the addition on a permanent basis of Yangel Herrera, Eric Garcia and Daley Blind have functioned well at the back, adapting almost seamlessly too. Yet the signing of Artem Dovbyk, 50% of his rights in exchange for €7.75m from Dnipro, is looking cheap.

The Ukrainian forward, tall, imposing and quick, has made Girona fans forget about Castellanos, and definitively relegated captain Cristhian Stuani to the bench after a period of adaptation. Dovbyk has shown a hunger to press, and a surprising ability to link with teammates in tight spaces too.

So far he has 6 goals and 5 assists in just 12 appearances for Girona, and while he has appeared in all of their La Liga martches, Dovbyk has only started eight of those games. In total, he is averaging a goal contribution every 60 minutes for Michel Sanchez.

Naturally, the question for Michel, Girona and Dovbyk is how long they can maintain this form, but he has been a crucial part of their excellent start. So far Girona could barely have wished for better from all three.