Deportivo de La Coruña, Racing de Santander, and Málaga CF have returned to LaLiga EA Sports, completing the 20-team top division for the new season. All three historic clubs are returning to a tier that served as their natural habitat for most of their history. Supported by large fanbases, institutional stature, and rich traditions, each club has chosen a distinct approach for its return to the top flight.
Recent statistics indicate that newly promoted teams have a strong record of retaining their first-division status. Of the 15 clubs promoted to the top tier over the past five seasons, only three were relegated back to Segunda División after a single year. Real Oviedo dropped down in the 2025-26 season, Real Valladolid suffered relegation in 2024-25, and Granada CF fell back in 2023-24. Furthermore, every promoted club successfully avoided relegation during both the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns.
Deportivo La Coruna transfer spending
Deportivo de La Coruña, a former league champion and five-time runner-up in La Liga, has emerged as the heaviest investor among the three promoted teams. The Galician club retained key player Yeremay in its squad while spending 26 million euros on new transfers. This summer investment makes Deportivo the fourth highest spending club in the division, behind only Spain's three main financial powers.
Deportivo strengthened its squad by paying a 9 million euro release clause to Mallorca for goalkeeper Leo Román. The club also signed high-level veteran forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and acquired promising prospect Asp Jensen from the Bayern Munich reserve team. Leaders at the club want to avoid any return to Primera RFEF, where they spent several years. After an eight-season absence from the top tier, Deportivo does not intend to be relegated after just one year.
Racing Santander squad overhaul
Racing de Santander returned to the top division after a 14-year absence, entering the league as the reigning champion of LaLiga Hypermotion. The Cantabrian club is seeking balance by undertaking a major roster renovation that features seven arrivals and ten departures. Asturian manager José Alberto is the main architect of the project, earning his first opportunity to coach in the top tier after years of working in Segunda División with a solid squad foundation and targeted reinforcements.
Racing brought back midfielder Sergio Canales, a former academy talent who returned to his original club after playing in Mexico. The club also permanently acquired forward Asier Villalibre and signed defender Facu González from Juventus. Santander spent 3.5 million euros on new arrivals while generating income through player sales, including the transfer of Suleiman Camara to Slovakian side Slovan Bratislava. Club leadership noted that additional additions could still arrive to raise squad depth before the transfer window closes.
Malaga youth academy strategy
Málaga CF earned promotion after winning a difficult playoff series against Almería, adopting a clear financial strategy based entirely on its youth academy. The club has operated under judicial administration for more than six years, which guarantees financial stability while enforcing strict expenditure margins. Málaga can register any incoming player, but the club cannot exceed its allocated spending limit.
Because of these restrictions, Málaga spent zero euros on transfer fees during the current market window. The Costa del Sol team secured four zero-cost additions: left-back José Salinas on loan from Espanyol with a purchase option, midfielder Carlos Dotor on loan for another year, and signings Juan Cruz and Calero. Head coach Juanfran Funes refers to his young academy players as bugs, and preseason matches featured opportunities for youth prospects such as Arriaza and central defender Otu.
Academy players including Chupete, Larrubia, Adrián Niño, Izan Merino, and Rafita served as the key architects of Málaga's promotion. Reaching the top tier was essential to keeping all of these academy products in the squad. None of the three promoted clubs are typical newcomers, as all three possess active supporter bases and past European experience, including Deportivo's era as SuperDépor, Málaga reaching the Champions League semi-finals 13 years ago, and Racing competing in the UEFA Cup against Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Schalke 04.
