Since Deportivo La Coruña’s last relegation from La Liga in 2018, they’ve spent longer in the third tier than the second. But now back in the Segunda, they’re building sustainably with the aim of getting back to the top flight – and staying there.
Deportivo La Coruña occupy that uneasy overlap in the Venn diagram where fading giants and hungry upstarts meet. It’s a strange, fraught space where nostalgia collides head-on with spreadsheets, and past glories and modern realities sit in constant negotiation.
Super Depor – the side that defined the club from the early 1990s through the early 2000s – was full of characters, living out a script of soaring highs and brutal lows. Roy Makaay, Djalminha, Diego Tristán, Fran; names now firmly etched into cult status, not just for how they played but for where they played.
Deportivo hold a special place in football history. They were the hipster’s choice before the first button-up retro shirt ever hit the shelves. There was something deliciously Spanish about them, tucked away in the north-west corner of Spain – accessible, but mysterious; the Riazor, the plumes of blue smoke in the stands, the heartbreak, the players who always seemed to straddle the line between cult and elite. They embodied the archetype of the perpetual underdog.
Between 1992–93 and 2003–04, they won La Liga, finished runners-up four times, in third place four times, and added a Copa del Rey. In 2010-11, they were relegated to the second division and the collapse began.
They yo-yoed for a few years before manging four successive years back in the top flight, but Depor never finished higher than 15th. It was only a matter time before they fell again, and fall hard they did, dropping into Spain’s third tier in 2020 for the first time since 1981.
But now they’re back in the Segunda, carrying the scars of their collapse and the lessons that came with it. The goal is clear: return to La Liga. The challenge, as director general Massimo Benassi puts it, is equally clear: to not die trying.
During a behind-the-scenes tell-all session with selected media outlets, including Opta Analyst, Benassi says: “We are clear on what we want to achieve, which is to get back to La Liga. But at the same time, we want to grow in a sustainable way. We want a huge spotlight on our academy, because we think we have one of the best in Spain.”
First, though, they have to survive the grind of the Segunda, a 22-team league that stretches deep into the summer. It’s a division where the crest of a wave can lift you into La Liga, but the undertow can just as easily drag you back down.
Depor are mid-table for now, but they’ve lost just once in their last 11 games. That form has been anchored by a manager who rose through the club’s own ranks, and a squad built around a smart blend of academy talent and targeted signings.
“Last season, we had around 25% of the first team from our academy,” Benassi says. “That’s something we want to maintain and, if possible, grow.”
Six academy players are currently in the first-team squad, with two more training alongside them.
Possession with Purpose
Fittingly, Depor’s style mirrors their broader strategy: urgent, but grounded. They’re in a hurry, but trying to build from something stable.
This makes them a statistical outlier. They rank second in total touches – behind only possession-heavy Elche – but also lead the league in fast breaks (48) and shots from fast breaks (44). It’s a unique profile: a team comfortable with the ball, but deadly when transitioning. Think of them as the Segunda’s version of Liverpool – fluid in possession, but sharp on the counter, especially through their dynamic young wingers.
“If you came and watched four of our youth team games, you’d see we have a clear identity,” academy director Ismael Arilla adds. “We play with wingers, we focus on winning one-on-ones, and we try to develop skilful players.
“When you have wingers like we do, it would be absurd not to use them.”
Only Málaga and Castellón have attempted more dribbles this season than Deportivo, a stat driven by academy stars Yeremay Hernández and David Mella. These aren’t just prospects; they’re the engine behind Depor’s attacking identity.
Yeremay ranks fourth among all players (min. 900 minutes played) for dribbles completed per 90 (3.95) across the top two tiers in European football’s five leading countries (England, France, Germany, Italy and Spain). Only Jérémy Doku, Lamine Yamal and Jamie Gittens have more. He leads the Segunda for carries ending in a shot or chance created (63).
Imanol Idiakez brought Depor back to the Segunda but was dismissed in October, a signal that, while the club may not be chasing miracles, they’re also not in the business of passive ambition.
Óscar Gilsanz took over in November. Since then, only Elche and Levante – first and second in the table – have lost fewer matches than Depor. The style hasn’t changed much. It’s pragmatic, sometimes even bland. But it’s working. It’s a foundation for not just promotion, but for surviving in La Liga if they eventually get there.
Depor aren’t aiming for a one-season wonder. They’re trying to avoid the trap that swallows many promoted clubs: going up without a plan, and crashing right back down. Too often, teams arrive in the top flight hoping the transfer market breaks their way and that three other teams do worse. Depor want more than that.
Navigating the Segunda used to demand pragmatism above all – it was where ideology went to die. But that’s changing. The teams fighting for automatic promotion this season are also the ones with the clearest stylistic identities.
Dynamic Squad-Building
Depor have taken a deliberate three-pronged approach to squad building in order to lean all the way into their tactical identity: homegrown core, international scouting and long-term cohesion.
Alongside their six academy players, they’ve signed talent from Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland and even Arsenal. Not every move has landed – Charlie Patiño’s switch from the Gunners hasn’t worked out yet – but the logic behind the strategy is sound.
According to Benassi, they turned to foreign markets in part to avoid inflated fees in Spain. “We know the weight our name carries here,” he says. “We didn’t want it used as leverage to increase transfer fees.” Ironically, that same reputation helped them abroad. Dutch striker Zakaria Eddahchouri signed in part because of Roy Makaay’s legacy.
Eddahchouri was signed from Telstar in January. The 24-year-old now leads the line, flanked by academy products and is a textbook example of how smart recruitment can enhance a thriving youth system.
“When you play on the streets, you quickly learn who’s got it,” Eddahchouri says. “I clicked with Yeremay from the first training. He plays inside, I love to combine—and he has the eye to find those passes.”
The Segunda is filled with clubs missing the blueprint for sustainability. Some don’t have the resources to plan beyond a single season. Others lack the historical precedent. Many don’t have the institutional expertise to build something coherent. Depor check all those boxes – but that’s just the starting point.
“There’s been an investment made because we believe in it,” Arilla notes, comparing Depor’s setup to Villarreal’s. “And it doesn’t depend on where the first team is in the table.”
In other clubs Arilla has worked with, academy players paid to play. Their fate rose and fell with the senior team. At Depor, the first team and the academy work independently but feed into each other.
Among second division clubs with B teams, only Eibar’s outperforms Depor’s, as Deportivo Fabril sit fifth in their group. The higher they sit in the Spanish football pyramid, the higher their level if they do eventually make the breakthrough. “We’re not giving anyone a free pass, though,” Arilla adds. “They have to prove to Óscar Gilsanz they’re ready for professional football.”
This project is rooted in the past but determined not to repeat it. “We don’t want to grow just by spending money and winning matches,” says Benassi.
They know exactly where that path leads.
And from afar, it’s a fair question: are Depor really back, or just resisting the gravity that once pulled them under? Zoom in, and you’ll see the signs of a club building something more stable, more sustainable – at least in theory.
But nostalgia doesn’t pay the bills. And plans don’t fill the stands.
Only results will do that.
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