Valencia Club de Fútbol faces the closing of the transfer window with two long-term defensive casualties and no return date in sight. According to a report by Diario AS, centre-backs José Copete and Dimitri Foulquier continue their recovery away from the main group, complicating manager Carlos Corberán's planning for the coming weeks.
The registration period for LaLiga closes on Tuesday at 23:59. Corberán stated after the defeat to Betis that the club's focus is on strengthening the attack. To date, Valencia have made seven signings this summer. The current squad, which you can view on our squad page, shows a clear imbalance between the lines.
What is the status of the injuries?
Foulquier's situation is the less serious of the two. The French full-back has a knee issue, but his evolution with medical treatment is positive. He has touched the ball in some recent training sessions, though he is not yet ready to join collective work. A concrete timeline for his return cannot be set as it depends entirely on how his body responds.
Copete's case is more complex. The defender injured his meniscus on 22 February against Villarreal and underwent surgery on 2 March. A complication in the same knee forced him back under the knife in April. In May, he travelled to Navarre to follow a specific recovery plan. He has spent the entire pre-season and the start of the league working individually.
How does this affect the defence?
With these absences, Carlos Corberán only has two fully available centre-backs from the first-team squad. One of them is Mouctar Diakhaby, who played the full 90 minutes against Betis. However, Diakhaby has only completed 18 matches in the last three seasons. His last appearance was on 3 January in Vigo, where he suffered a serious injury.
The third confirmed defensive absence is youngster Justin De Haas, who will be out for about a month. The arrivals of Arnau Martínez and Pablo Maffeo cover the right-back position, left vacant by Thierry Correia's departure and Foulquier's injury. But the heart of the defence is left very short on options. The upcoming match schedule, available on our fixtures page, includes key fixtures in the coming weeks.
What are the club's options now?
Valencia's sporting direction has focused its recent efforts on seeking attacking reinforcements, as the manager indicated. The transfer window closes this week, leaving little room for last-minute manoeuvres in defence. The club may be forced to rely on academy players or reposition footballers from other roles if the injuries drag on.
The squad has an average age of 24.8 years, according to our internal data. This youth could be a double-edged sword when facing a lack of experience during a defensive crisis. The team currently occupies thirteenth place in the LaLiga standings, with a record of one win and two losses from the first three games. Maintaining defensive solidity will be key to improving those numbers.
The recovery of Copete and Foulquier has no clear horizon. In the meantime, the team must find internal solutions to plug the gaps. Everything points to the next few matchdays being a test of resilience for a depleted back line. Fans can follow the progress of all first-team injuries in our dedicated injuries section.
