Valencia and Mallorca face-off in La Liga on Saturday at 1pm (UK time), but the subplot of Lee Kang-in returning to Mestalla may end up dictating the narrative of this otherwise fascinating showdown.
Los Che‘s financial troubles have been well documented for some time now, with a fire sale of their prized assists culminating in the departures of Ferran Torres, Dani Parejo and Geoffrey Kondogbia, all for cut prices, but the loss of Lee Kang-in in the summer to Mallorca for nothing may yet sting the most.
How to live stream Valencia vs Mallorca online:
Saturday’s game between Valencia and Mallorca is on bet365’s live-stream schedule for readers with an account. Those without a bet365 account who are over 18 and Gamble Aware need only follow three simple steps to watch Valencia vs Mallorca online*:
- Visit their sign-up page (here’s a link)
- Set up and fund a new account
- Go to ‘In Play’ section, select the game you want to watch and click the play button symbol
Where to watch Valencia vs Mallorca on TV:
Valencia vs Mallorca previous line-ups & injury news:
- Valencia (vs Barcelona): Cillessen; Foulquier, Gabriel, Diakhaby, Gaya; Guillamon, Duro, Soler, Wass, Guedes; Gomez.
- Mallorca (vs Real Sociedad): Reina; Maffeo, Valjent, Russo, Olivan; Battaglia, Galarreta, Rodriguez, Lee, Amath; Angel.
Attacking full-back Thierry Correia made a strong start to the season but the 22-year-old Portuguese has been sidelined for the previous four matches with a muscle injury and continues to occupy the treatment tables. Mallorca meanwhile are without Antonio Raillo and Real Madrid loanee Takefusa Kubo, the latter of whom has missed the past three games.
Lee Kang-in’s summer departure crystallises sorry state of Valencia’s mismanagement
Valencia has been a mecca for aspiring young players in recent years, with the likes of Ferran Torres, Carlos Soler and Yunus Musah all progressing rapidly at the Mestalla, and another of those precocious wunderkinds, once tipped to reach the very top, was Lee Kang-in, who joined the club at the age of 10.
The 20-year-old represented Valencia for three seasons, during which time he racked up 62 appearances, mainly as a teenager, and transfixed the terraces with exhibitions of skill and creativity. His mind-bending trickery was a joy to watch, and fans of Valencia were expecting him to grow into a world class player.
However, Los Che, in almost typical fashion of their shoddy approach to the transfer market over recent years, allowed the dazzling forward to slip through their net, with the South Korea international joining Mallorca on a free transfer over the summer, relocating to a club where he felt opportunities would be ten a penny.
Valencia are now left to lick their wounds and will be hoping their once prized jewel does not come back to bite the hand that once fed him. There is no question of Lee Kang-in’s talents. If he has a quiet game this weekend, it will not define his career. The ceiling is quite simply limitless, and Valencia may yet come to regret letting him leave.
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