Racing Santander Squad Depth 2026/27 Analysis

Racing Santander return to La Liga with something many promoted teams struggle to retain: continuity. José Alberto remains in charge after leading Racing to the Segunda División title, and much of the promotion-winning group is still together.

Instead of replacing the core, the club strengthened around it with players who already have experience in major European leagues. Sergio Canales returned to his hometown club. Julen Agirrezabala became the new first-choice goalkeeper.

Matteo Prati and André Almeida strengthened midfield, while Jeanuël Belocian, Aarón Martín, Pedro Felipe and the permanent return of Pablo Ramón increased the defensive options. Up front, Racing kept Asier Villalibre and Juan Carlos Arana while adding Yassir Zabiri, whose excellent start has immediately increased competition.

For a newly promoted team, this is a relatively deep squad. The important issue is whether that depth remains effective when José Alberto has to replace some of the players who define Racing’s attacking identity.

Racing Santander’s 2026/27 Squad at a Glance

The main first-team options include:

Goalkeepers: Julen Agirrezabala, Simon Eriksson, with Laro Gómez available from the wider group
Centre-backs: Pablo Ramón, Jeanuël Belocian, Facundo González, Manu Hernando, Pedro Felipe
Full-back options: Álvaro Mantilla, Jorge Salinas, Aarón Martín, with Belocian capable of covering the left
Central midfield: Matteo Prati, André Almeida, Maguette Gueye, Íñigo Sainz-Maza
Creative midfield: Sergio Canales, Íñigo Vicente
Wide attack: Pablo García, Andrés Martín, Giorgi Guliashvili, Iker Luque, with Vicente also capable of starting wider
Centre-forward: Yassir Zabiri, Asier Villalibre, Juan Carlos Arana

Several of those players can operate in more than one role, which gives José Alberto useful tactical flexibility without making the squad unnecessarily large.

Julen Agirrezabala Raises the Goalkeeper Level

Julen Agirrezabala has started Racing’s first five La Liga matches and gives the club a goalkeeper already accustomed to top-flight football. He arrived having played for Athletic Club and Valencia and brings significantly more Primera División experience than most newly promoted teams can usually add in this position.

Simon Eriksson provides the main competition, although his current shoulder tendinopathy temporarily removes him from the immediate rotation. That makes goalkeeper one of Racing’s more secure positions when everyone is fit. Agirrezabala is clearly first choice, but the squad does not depend on an inexperienced academy goalkeeper behind him.

Centre-Back Depth Is Better Than a Typical Promoted Squad

Racing have several legitimate combinations available centrally. Pablo Ramón has already established himself as an important defender after contributing to promotion last season.

Belocian brings Bundesliga and Ligue 1 experience and can defend aggressively higher up the pitch. His ability to play either centre-back or left-back is particularly useful.

Facundo González also remained permanently after last season’s successful loan, while Manu Hernando provides continuity and understands José Alberto’s system. Pedro Felipe adds another athletic option.

The 2-1 victory over Alavés demonstrated the benefit of having those choices. José Alberto changed his central pairing and started Pablo Ramón alongside Belocian without needing to compromise the rest of the team.

That is the kind of depth that matters. Racing does not simply have five players labelled as centre-backs. Several are credible starting options.

Full-Back Is Slightly Less Deep

Álvaro Mantilla has taken significant responsibility on the right. On the left, Jorge Salinas has started the season strongly and created Zabiri’s winning goal against Alavés with an excellent attacking run.

Aarón Martín substantially improves the competition on that side. He brings extensive experience from Spain, Germany and Italy and provides a more established alternative when José Alberto wants greater quality in possession.

Belocian can also move left if necessary. The imbalance is on the right. Racing have several ways to cover left-back, while Mantilla has fewer equivalent natural alternatives behind him.

That does not make the position a major weakness, particularly without European football, but it is one of the areas where another injury could require more tactical adjustment.

The Midfield Rebuild Has Added Top-Level Experience

Racing lost Gustavo Puerta to Olympiacos late in the window. His power, mobility and ball carrying had been important during the promotion season, so replacing him was necessary. The response was impressive.

Matteo Prati arrived after accumulating significant Serie A experience and has quickly moved into José Alberto’s midfield. André Almeida gives Racing another technically secure player with more than 100 La Liga appearances.

Although capable of playing further forward, both the player and club see him as someone who can influence buildup from deeper positions. Maguette Gueye provides more physical presence, while captain Íñigo Sainz-Maza offers defensive discipline and continuity.

The profiles complement each other. Prati can organise possession, Almeida can progress the ball, Maguette can add physicality, and Íñigo can protect the structure. That gives José Alberto more ways to construct the midfield than simply searching for one direct Puerta replacement.

Sergio Canales Changes What Racing Can Create

Canales is more than a sentimental signing. His technical quality immediately raises Racing’s attacking ceiling. He can receive between the lines, play from central midfield, move into the right half-space and create chances from set pieces.

His free-kick against Rayo Vallecano showed that he remains capable of producing moments few players in a promoted squad can replicate. Íñigo Vicente provides another important creative source.

Vicente can play wide or centrally and remains one of Racing’s best players at finding passes around a compact defensive block. André Almeida also reduces the creative burden when used higher.

Racing therefore have alternatives in attacking midfield, but Canales and Vicente still possess qualities that are difficult to reproduce exactly. The concern is not whether somebody else can occupy their position. It is whether the replacement can provide the same level of invention.

Wide Attack Has Become More Competitive

Pablo García has made an encouraging start following his move from Real Betis. He can operate on either wing and has already scored in La Liga, giving José Alberto another direct attacker who is comfortable taking defenders on.

Giorgi Guliashvili is available again after recovering from the fractured fibula that affected his summer preparation. Iker Luque provides another young one-versus-one option.

Andrés Martín would normally be an important part of this group after playing a major role during promotion, but his knee sprain is expected to keep him unavailable for several weeks. That injury tests the depth immediately.

The encouraging sign is that Racing can still select Pablo García, Guliashvili, Vicente or Luque without needing to redesign the entire attack. The group is young in places, but it has enough options to survive one significant absence.

Centre-Forward Is a Real Strength

Few promoted teams have three centre-forwards with such different and credible claims for minutes. Asier Villalibre scored 16 league goals during the promotion campaign and remains a powerful reference point capable of holding the ball and occupying central defenders.

Juan Carlos Arana scored 13 times during the previous season and gives José Alberto another proven option within the club’s attacking structure. Then there is Yassir Zabiri. The Morocco international has made an immediate impact, scoring a hat-trick against Elche and both goals in the victory over Alavés.

Five goals in his first five La Liga appearances is an outstanding start. His movement and finishing have allowed José Alberto to select a more mobile striker without losing penalty-box threat. The important point is that Racing do not have to depend entirely on those early goals continuing.

If Zabiri’s form dips, Villalibre and Arana are credible alternatives rather than emergency backups. That makes centre-forward arguably the deepest department in the squad relative to Racing’s objectives.

The Current Injuries Are Manageable

Andrés Martín is the main long-term concern at present. His knee sprain is expected to keep him out for around six to eight weeks. Eriksson is also unavailable with a shoulder problem. Neither absence has created a structural crisis.

Pablo García has helped replace Andrés’ attacking minutes, while Agirrezabala is already established as the first-choice goalkeeper.

That is encouraging because squad depth should primarily be judged by what happens when players are unavailable rather than by how many names appear on the roster. Racing have passed that early test reasonably well.

The First Five Matches Offer Encouraging Evidence

Racing have collected seven points from their opening five fixtures. They drew 2-2 with Villarreal, lost narrowly at Getafe, defeated Elche 3-2, lost 3-2 to Rayo Vallecano and then beat Alavés 2-1.

They have scored nine goals and conceded nine. The attacking output is encouraging. The defensive numbers show where improvement is still required.

José Alberto has acknowledged that Racing need to defend better collectively, which is especially important because survival cannot depend on winning repeated high-scoring matches.

The centre-back depth gives him enough personnel to search for the right partnership. The next step is turning those options into greater defensive consistency.

No European Football Makes the Squad Size Appropriate

Racing only needs to manage La Liga and the Copa del Rey. That matters when assessing whether they have enough depth. José Alberto does not need two complete starting teams.

He needs reliable cover for injuries and suspensions while retaining enough competition to prevent the level dropping when he rotates. The present squad meets that requirement in most departments.

Centre-back, midfield and centre-forward are particularly well stocked. Right-back and creative midfield carry slightly larger quality dependencies, but not enough to make the overall squad look unbalanced.

Overall Squad Depth Assessment

Overall Assessment: Strong for a Promoted Club

Racing have built a squad capable of competing without abandoning the players and style that earned promotion. Agirrezabala upgrades the goalkeeping position. Belocian, Pablo Ramón and the other centre-backs give José Alberto genuine defensive choices.

Prati and Almeida help compensate for Puerta’s departure, while Canales adds a level of creativity rarely available to a newly promoted side. The attack may be the most encouraging area.

Pablo García increases the wing options, and Zabiri, Villalibre and Arana give Racing three credible centre-forwards with different strengths.

There are still vulnerabilities. Mantilla has fewer natural alternatives on the right, Andrés’ injury removes an important attacker, and Canales remains difficult to replace creatively. But these are specific dependencies rather than widespread squad shortages.

Conclusion

Racing Santander’s 2026/27 squad looks better prepared for La Liga than simply retaining a promotion-winning team and hoping it adapts.

The club kept important players such as Villalibre, Arana, Pablo Ramón and Facundo González, then surrounded them with more top-flight experience through Agirrezabala, Canales, Prati, Almeida, Aarón Martín and Belocian.

Yassir Zabiri’s explosive start has added another major attacking option. The challenge now is defensive consistency. Racing have already shown they can create and score against La Liga opposition.

If José Alberto can turn his expanded defensive group into a more reliable unit, the squad has enough depth to handle injuries and form changes without losing the identity that brought the club back to the top flight.