SEVEN SIGNINGS AND COUNTING SEASON 2023/24

The season may have ended but it never really does for those responsible for building a squad.  Just under two weeks ago the club appointed their manager Leonel “Pipa” Gancedo. The 52 year old Argentine has played football at the top level and his UD Lanzarote squad for season 2023/24 is up and running.

There are three new signings however all three are ex Rojillo players, two of them are from the island and they all in their prime years.

Luciano Pierce (Chuky)

The 26 year old Argentine joined the Rojillos in the second half of the 18/19 season and became an instant hit with fellow players and fans. At a towering 1.93m (6 foot 4 inches) the centre back dominates aerial battles and is excellent on set pieces. Chucky represented his country at junior levels and this is a superb first signing for the new Rojillo manager.

Ale Fuentes

Ale is only 23 years of age but already has six seasons of experience playing at this level. The local Lanzarote lad moved from UD Lanzarote at the end of 19/20 to CD Tenerife B where he made more than 100 appearances. He is a strong powerful attacking midfielder that can play on either wing and this maybe a little extreme but he does have the look and strength of a player similar to Marcus Rashford. The club eagerly welcomes him home.

Alex Cruz

The Lanzarote born player represented the Rojillos for two seasons from 2017-19. The 27 year old winger who is also an attacking right back moved to La Palma and won promotion with CD Atlético Paso before joining CD Mensajero last January and was instrumental in helping Mensajero become Champions and winning promotion.

The four confirmed players who have renewed their contracts are:

Gonzalo Di Renzo

The 27 year old striker arrived at UD Lanzarote in the January transfer window in the 21/22 season and became an instant hit. The 1.87m (6 foot 1 inch) striker’s work rate is quite incredible. He defends from the front, creates goals and was the league’s top scorer last season with his 18 strikes. The Argentine also holds an Italian passport and was voted the fans player of the season.

Adrián Machín

This will be Adrián’s fourth season with Lanzarote and each campaign he has kept improving. He plays as a winger but also as an attacking defender. Last season the local boy made 24 appearances in the Rojillo shirt and 16 of those were in the starting line up.

Ruymán

The 35 year old goalkeeper has proved over many seasons that he is one of the leading keepers in this league. The local lad is one of the four captains and his passion for the club is undeniable. Many supporters forget about the crucial saves from goalkeepers but on two occasions he helped save the Rojillos from relegation. A penalty save late on versus UD Las Palmas B in 20/21 in a game where Lanzarote scored a late winner and also a must win match versus SD Tenisca where he plucked the ball destined for the top corner out of the air late on to hold onto a crucial 1-0 win.

Raúl Fernández

In all of UD Lanzarote´s recent managers centre back Raúl will be one of the first names on the team sheet. The 28 year old Lanzarote born player will be starting his 10^th season in a Rojillo shirt playing over 200 matches. Known as a no nonsense defender he has always been a crowd favourite and is also the clubs vice captain and leads by example. Last season he scored the vital goal versus eventual champions CD Mensajero in a 1-1 draw which stopped the rot of four defeats and began an 11 match unbeaten run.

More signings are imminent and will be shown first on the clubs facebook page UD Lanzarote.