Zaragoza rip it up and start again | OneFootball

Real Zaragoza are on the cusp of a substantial overhaul of sporting operations as the club seeks stability following another turbulent Segunda División season. Safe from relegation but well short of their ambitions, Zaragoza’s management have accelerated plans to reshape the football department, with a new structure featuring Juanfran Torres and Jorge López expected to be confirmed within days.

The selection process for the new sporting leadership, steered by Atlético Madrid’s director of football Carlos Bucero, narrowed significantly as other candidates either proved difficult to secure or lacked the required alignment with existing technical staff. Early approaches to Chema Aragón and Txema Indias were ultimately set aside, with the decisive factor becoming Juanfran and Jorge López’s chemistry with current head coach Gabi Fernández and familiarity with the ‘Atlético connection’ that has grown more apparent within the club since the arrival of the Real Z LLC ownership group.

Juanfran, with deep links to Atlético Madrid both as a player and through his professional network, is in line to become Zaragoza’s director of football. He will be joined by Jorge López—who played for Zaragoza and previously served as secretary technical at Valencia and director of football at Intercity—likely taking up a key supporting role overseeing squad planning. The two have worked together before at Intercity in the Primera RFEF, and their arrival could mark the first time Zaragoza’s sporting management would function as a tandem, rather than the traditional single-director model.

Gabi, who took temporary charge as head coach in March, has made it clear that incremental change will not suffice. "The club is going to build a new stadium and is knocking everything down to start from scratch. The same has to happen with the sporting project," he said after confirming Zaragoza’s survival. "If the whole structure convinces me, we will start working. My priority is to be here, but everything must go in the same direction for a solid project." Despite not yet signing a new contract, Gabi’s continuity appears likely, particularly as the proposed new structure mirrors his call for a sweeping reconstruction.

This reset follows a period defined by instability. In three seasons, the club has employed seven managers, overseen dozens of player arrivals and departures, and seen its best young talents sold. Despite a record salary cap of €11.84 million, performance has stalled: Zaragoza finished 13th, 15th and now, at best, 17th since the new era began, each year drifting further from the play-off positions the owners once targeted.

Jorge Mas and the board now face pressure to match the financial investment with clear sporting direction and cohesion at every level of the club. The next weeks are expected to bring formal announcements and the start of a squad rebuild designed to address the narrow escapes of recent years—an overhaul both demanded and expected by the Zaragoza faithful.

Source: Sport Aragón, El Periódico de Aragón, Marca