Ones to Watch: Levante’s Victor Camarasa is yet another promising Spanish midfielder

Things were beginning to look incredibly glum for Levante supporters just under a month ago. Their side didn’t appear able to stop the rot and had only managed 1 victory in their opening 9 games. Of course, as is commonplace at the highest level of football this resulted in the manager being shown the door. Lucas Alcaraz managed to save them from the drop last season but he wasn’t trusted to do the same this time around.

Rubi was chosen as his successor and it caught a few people out. After a year working as a coach in Tito Vilanova’s Barcelona set-up he accepted his first managerial appointment in June 2014. Real Valladolid had aspirations of returning to the top flight but under Rubi they fell agonisingly short, missing out on promotion via the playoffs due to away goals. He was promptly relieved of his duties until Levante came calling.

The transformation in the side since then has been remarkable. They were leaking goals right, left and centre. The midfield wasn’t working and the strikers couldn’t make a difference at the other end of the pitch. It was complete disarray. Rome wasn’t built in a day but Rubi is definitely building something at Levante as they came away with 4 points from his opening 3 games in charge. The loss to Valencia could easily have been a win on another night whereas they pushed a high-flying Deportivo to the limit but could only manage a draw. Against Sporting Gijon, however, we saw how effect the team can be. Rubi’s charges dominated the match from the opening whistle and there was a noted difference in the belief on show. There is one man this Levante side can be built around and that’s Victor Camarasa.

Camarasa was initially picked up by Valencia at the age of 7 and spent a couple of years with them before he was let go. Levante quickly invited him for a trial and he did enough to be taken on and successfully graduated from their academy.

After making his mark with the reserves he was rewarded with a debut for the senior side in the Copa del Rey. Shortly afterwards he put pen to paper on a new 6-year contract. He made his La Liga debut in the same season before eventually becoming a mainstay in the first team after Alcaraz took over.

He was primarily used as a defensive midfielder last season, put there to shield the defence and break up opposition’s attacks. Towards the end he was tried slightly further forward as he began to show he was much more than just a big defensive midfielder and actually had many strings to his bow.

Despite his large frame he’s relatively quick - particularly over short distances - and has the vision to pick out a pass as well, plus he’s technically sound as you’d expect with any youngster coming through the ranks in Spain. There are obvious comparisons to be drawn alongside Vicente Iborra at Sevilla, another big man to break the misconception of tall players only being effective in the air. He scored a nice freekick against Deportivo recently - a man of many talents.

Camarasa earned plenty of plaudits at the end of the season and speculation was rife that sides from England, Italy and Spain were set to swoop. In the end nothing materialised but his fine form has continued into this campaign. He made his debut with Spain’s U21 side against Georgia back in November which is no mean feat when you consider how many quality midfielders he’s competing with.

He didn’t believe it when his friend called him to say he had been called up for the Spanish U21 side. “I had to check the official website! It’s the dream of most footballers to represent their country and I was very proud to do that.” It’s a relatively new group that Albert Celades is forming but having turned 21 already this will be Camarasa’s last season with the U21 side.

Moving further and further away from his initial defensive midfielder role he continues to drum up interest both at home and abroad. The latest side to show an interest are Fiorentina and they are set to test Levante’s resolve with a bid in January. The player himself has repeatedly stated how happy he is in Valencia but the chance to move to a bigger side, even abroad, could help his aspirations of further caps for Spain.

He’s one to keep an eye on if Levante continue their improvement under Rubi and he plays a large part in that. Levante aren’t in a position to turn down a sizeable offer for one of their star players. Perhaps one of the bigger sides that find themselves struggling will turn to Camarasa. Strong, fast, technically sound with good vision – what’s not to like?