Spanish defender Manuel "Leo" Castellano, who recently played for the Spanish Osasuna, signed with the green club until the end of the season, with an option for next season. The player received the number 16 and his salary is estimated at 150 thousand euros.
A significant reinforcement to the rear of Maccabi Haifa. Tonight, 22/01/2019, the green club announced the signing of the Spanish defender Manuel Castellano Castro, known by his nickname "Leo". The Spaniard, who can play in a variety of positions in defense, signed a contract according to which he will be at Maccabi until the end of the season, with an option for next season. "Liu", who passed the medical tests and joins the training of the senior team, comes from the Spanish Osasuna, where he played since the 2017/2018 season.
Liu delivered upon his arrival in Israel
I am very excited to come to Maccabi Haifa. It's a big club that plays in Europe and I want to be a part of it. I played in teams in Spain. This stadium in Haifa is the best I have seen.
The Spanish defender started his career at the luxury club Valencia and even played one official game in the senior team. Before making 63 appearances in the uniform of his previous team, Osasuna, he played in a variety of Spanish teams such as: Eibar (74 games), Sporting Gijon (26 games), Murcia and more. In total, the history of "Liu" consists of 183 official matches in Spain, including 90 minutes in a match against Real Madrid at the end of last September.
Although Maccabi is currently ranked second in the league and is having a good season, the club is counting on Leo to upgrade the backline, which is the weak point of the team, which conceded 15 goals in 19 games this season, with 10 of them including three goals against Hapoel Ra'anana and MS Ashdod In every game and 4 goals against Maccabi Tel Aviv, all at their home stadium "Sami Ofer".
