According to Sport, the transfer window has closed. Racing Santander fans can breathe a sigh of relief, as Jorge Salinas will remain with the green and white army for another season after no club activated his €16 million release clause. Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, and Manchester United all attempted to sign him, but none were able to convince Racing Santander's sporting director, Chema Aragón.

The 19-year-old Salinas plays as a left-back for Racing Santander, helping the team return to the top flight after 14 years. Although he played as a center-back throughout his youth career, he was moved to the wing by coach José Alberto and performed exceptionally well. "The biggest question lies in his ideal position. It depends on the team, the coach, the environment... But if I had to bet, I would say his potential as a center-back is even greater," said Andrés Castañala, a journalist covering Racing Santander, on the "Le Futbolin" channel.

Salinas's transformation is reminiscent of Gerard Martín or Marc Pubill, but in the opposite direction. Castañala compared the versatility of the Cantabrian player to that of Manchester City's Gvardiol. "From the first time I saw him, I've always compared him to Gvardiol. Of course, there's a gap in physique, technique, and level, but their potential as a center-back or full-back might be very similar. Although the Croatian switched from center-back to full-back, he performed outstandingly, but his best form was still as a left center-back. Salinas will also go through a similar process," the journalist commented.

In the locker room, everyone calls him "Sali." Last season, he made 33 appearances in La Liga 2, providing 7 assists. This season, he has started all three of Racing Santander's league matches and created two penalties. He can also play both center-back and on the wing for the Spanish U19 team, with whom he won the European Championship this summer. His progress in the youth teams also leads people to believe that he has a chance to make it into the senior national team in the coming years. "He has the potential to play many games for the Spanish national team. I'm willing to bet a finger on that," Castañala analyzed.

Salinas's most outstanding attribute is his defensive dueling. He is almost impossible to beat one-on-one. In fact, last season he was the Racing Santander player who won the most duels. "What I value most is his professionalism and maturity in the game. It is precisely because of this strong competitive spirit that he performs so well defensively, almost always limiting the opposing winger he faces," the journalist described. Salinas's rise in the Spanish second division has also attracted the attention of several top clubs in La Liga and the Premier League.

Last summer, after only playing three games for the first team, he received a huge offer from Saudi Arabia, with a contract amount 30 times what Racing Santander offered, but he refused. Although he has not yet opened his goal-scoring account for the green and white army, he is a very threatening weapon in set-piece attacks, often creating chances, despite his height not being particularly outstanding at only 1.83 meters.

His rapid emergence in the Racing Santander first team is reminiscent of Pablo Torre. The latter was a key player in the team's promotion to La Liga 2 in 2022, and then joined Barcelona. "The two situations are very different. Firstly, Salinas is simply the better player, both in terms of his condition when he joined and his potential. In addition, Pablo was playing in the Spanish third tier at the time, while Jorge was already the best left-back in La Liga 2," Castañala said.

Finally, although Salinas originated as a center-back, he is equally active in attack. Racing Santander's enjoyable, attack-minded style of play requires him to constantly sprint back and forth, pushing to the byline to occupy the winger position vacated by Iñigo Vicente. "His level of ball control is very high. He's that type of center-back/full-back player that coaches like Arteta and Guardiola really like nowadays," Castañala concluded. At least for the next season, Racing Santander fans can continue to enjoy the surprises brought by this young star.

AF's PC site is now live! Browse full news, comments, match details and stats on your computer. Visit: www.allfootballapp.com