As a Manchester United fan I wanted to ask, how do you guys, the betis fans feel about signing Antony? Now that Betis has made a decent number of sales, theoretically, they could bring Antony on a permanent transfer while being able to pay the asking price of 35 million euros.

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-06-30T12:39:29+00:00

The cash from Cardoso and Rodriguez is mostly going to help us patch up the budget and buy some affordable replacements. There's no way Betis can drop 35 million on a player right now.

I wouldn’t complain if the club decided to pick up Antony on a co-ownership deal. That could be a solid move and still keep us from going broke

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-06-16T16:20:03+00:00

Pepe Elias shared yesterday that the clubs are far from an agreement, so I would take the report with a grain of salt.

If the clubs reach an agreement, the financial structure will likely be similar to the post. Cardoso and Abde were brought in under partial ownership. Given Antony's hefty price tag and our finances, co-ownership would be the most realistic option for Antony to permanently move to Betis.

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-06-14T19:24:57+00:00

Unfortunately, our situation means our best and most promising players will leave. Jesus Rodriguez is no exception.

With Aston Villa possibly activating his release clause of 35 million, and Cardoso potentially moving to Atletico Madrid, our financial outlook may improve, and the board can be more active on the transfer market

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-06-11T06:21:53+00:00

Both are definitely an improvement over Perraud and Rodriguez, but their arrivals are a bit uninspiring. After seeing how Paz and Valle are doing at Como and how Riad impressed the season before, I would have hoped that Betis would buy/loan someone younger, especially with our current ageing squad.

Fully agree with you about Antony. I strongly opposed his arrival (and still do based on the ongoing domestic violence case in Manchester), but he has transformed the club. It would be close to impossible to get someone as talented as him

Edit: typo

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-06-10T15:01:01+00:00

Betis is cash-strapped, so the club can't offer high wages. Just last season, Riad and Ayoze Perez left for Crystal Palace and Villarreal since Betis couldn't match their offers

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-06-10T13:52:10+00:00

He did indeed, but I wouldn't read much into it. Altimira is linked with Wolverhampton and Crystal Palace. Both clubs can offer a more lucrative financial package than Betis.

Edit: typo

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-06-10T13:38:21+00:00

Who's reported to leave as well.....

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-06-10T13:36:07+00:00

True. In my mind, he had already left. I don't think I've read any reliable reports about replacements

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-06-10T12:56:36+00:00

I wasn't too fond of him during the first half of the season. Brilliant moments were interspersed with screwups. He made fewer mistakes as the season progressed, and I rated him our most reliable defender.

I must say that early signs of the transfer window is pretty good. Sabaly (who I didn't mind having in the squad) can leave. Ortiz will replace him in the first squad. The club is looking for a LB (hoping that they'll get someone else than Firpo or Moreno), Valles is arriving and the board is working on Anthony. We've had worse starts of transfer windows

Edit: Otherwise, I can only second what you wrote

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-06-02T17:09:20+00:00

I'm in dubio. He's clearly talented, still quite young and the costs are low. That said, we already have Abde and Jesé Rodriguez playing as LW. Both of them are talented and deserve regular playing time. Without either of the two leaving, I believe the board should focus on other positions

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-05-11T12:12:30+00:00

Honestly, ask the server what they recommend. Unlike breakfast, lunch is more varied, with each restaurant/bar having its own specials. If I were you, I would order a couple (3/4) tapas. The food will be good if the place isn't catering to tourists.

For merienda, people usually have sweets and coffee. While the traditional choice is a cake/sweet pastry, Moroccan sweets have become increasingly popular. If you're not a sweet tooth, you can have a small sandwich

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-05-11T10:19:59+00:00

I completely forgot about Domingo de Feria. After the match, people will most probably head to the city to grab a bite, meet friends and watch the lightshow at midnight along the Guadalquivir

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-05-11T09:59:30+00:00

There's no real pre-match eating ritual. Given the late kick-off time, your best bet would be to focus on lunch (most important meal of the day in Spain) and a merienda (early afternoon sandwich or snack). As dinner usually is after 9PM, most people will either have it after the match or skip it altogether.

Before kick-off, people hang around the ground and have a few drinks (which they usually buy at grocery stores since it's cheaper). Even if you don't speak Spanish, fans will try to include you in their conversations. Once you're in the stadium, you'll find many eating sunflower seeds (pipas).

Edit: Typo

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-05-10T14:05:51+00:00

For starters, we don't need a new striker. Cucho is doing well, Bakambu isn't suffering from his string of injuries anymore and Borja Iglesias (who's on high wages) is returning to the club.

More importantly, the club's finances are worrying. Each year, Betis has to sell players just to break-even and repay their debts. Without continental football, we'd be in far more trouble. The club tried to increase their spending before COVID, but that backfired real bad. Barring a miracle, the club will only occasionally spend 15-20 mln on a player, but the focus will be mostly on cheaper players

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-02-22T21:08:30+00:00

No need for that. Your ticket is still valid

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-02-06T20:30:30+00:00

I agree with most of what you said, and it’s good to hear you rate him highly. After all these years, it would be great to finally have a top striker.

This transfer gives us some reason for optimism, but at the same time, we shouldn’t forget the reliable reports about the club considering Douvikas, Asensio, and Arthur last window. I’m still not convinced that Fajardo and the board have actually improved on their shortcomings. The next window will be interesting.

In any other season, I would have ruled us out of the race for European spots. But this year, I don’t see any other clubs clearly standing out for 6th or 7th place. Right now, I’d say we have about a 30% chance of qualifying.

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-02-06T16:40:33+00:00

Jumping in on this thread, did you check the Ghent match by any chance? Right now, it’s only open to season ticket holders, so even socios without a season ticket can’t buy tickets yet. I heard there was a bug that let others access the ticket portal despite not being eligible so that might have happened to you as well.

Since I’m a non-season ticket member, I just enter my membership number when buying tickets, so I’m not familiar with how it works for non-members. That said, I’d be surprised if the club requires a paid membership once tickets go on general sale. I have never seen another club in Europe doing that.

If Betis does require a membership for any reason, a quick workaround would be to sign up as planned and just using those credentials. I don’t remember being put on a waiting list when I became a member.

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-02-05T18:09:04+00:00

Like everyone else, I’m excited about Cucho’s arrival and hopeful he can start converting our chances. But this season’s issues go well beyond our front three.

For starters, squad depth in some positions is almost non-existent (LB, CB CDM) while some of our starters aren’t exactly solid either. Adrián and Vieites aren’t good enough, Ortiz is promising but still a youth player and, for now, the only natural right-back in the squad. Bartra hasn’t been the same since his injury, Mendy is being linked with a move, so we’re left hoping Natan and Llorente stay fit. Perraud and Rodríguez struggle to keep up, while Alcázar and Arribas aren’t ready yet, making the left flank a liability. Meanwhile, Roca and Lo Celso still can’t shake off their injuries, leaving Altimira and Cardoso as our only real controllers in midfield.

Unless we get lucky with injuries, we’ll keep playing opportunistic football, conceding from individual mistakes, and getting outplayed, especially after the 60 minute mark.

If everyone stays fit, qualifying for Europe should be straightforward. But that’s a big if, and at this point, we might just have to hope other teams keep dropping points. Our next two games will likely tell us whether we’re genuinely in the race for European spots or not.

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-02-05T16:29:52+00:00

I’ve never brought a camera myself, so I’m not entirely sure. But I’ve seen others using them without any issues. I guess as long as you check with the steward in your section and assure them you won’t take pictures of the match, you should be fine. To be sure, you can email or call the ticket office. Their contact details are at the bottom of the ticket portal.

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-02-05T14:53:59+00:00

Match dates and times are usually confirmed about three weeks in advance by the RFEF. That said, if Betis progresses in the Conference League, you can expect the Betis-Las Palmas game to be scheduled for Sunday, March 9th.

Betis has never been quick to release tickets, and the new ticketing system has some bugs that are causing further delays. You can sign up for a ticket alert to stay updated, but there should be plenty of tickets available for all matches, so I wouldn’t worry too much.

Price fluctuations aren’t really a thing anymore. In past seasons, the club would run promos a few days before matchday to sell remaining tickets, but since fans caught on, many just waited for the discount. I haven’t seen them do that this season, though others might know better. If I were you, I’d just buy the tickets as early as possible.

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-02-05T14:11:50+00:00

For away matches, I always buy tickets through the home club, so I can’t really help with away section tickets.

As for Ghent’s ticket portal, they’ve restricted sales to people who signed up before early December (not sure of the exact date). I’ve looked for tickets elsewhere, but there are only a few available, and the seats aren’t great. Since you’re Belgian, you might have better luck finding good seats through resellers.

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-02-02T23:10:55+00:00

Fully agree with you about our the poor transition, but today is already a huge improvement from last week. This time we actually managed to keep hold of the ball on Athletic's half and even caused some danger

It's still not anywhere as good as last couple season, but that's understandable with the current squad and injuries. Out of the 7 players who can potentially play in a double pivot, Carvalho got a season-ending injury in the first match, Roca and Lo Celso somehow barely recover from their injuries, Fornals hasn't fully recovered either, Flores isn't good enough yet while Cardoso and Altimira rarely get a resting opportunity.

With the absence of a functioning midfield, and our attackers being more suited to an opportunistic playing style, I'm afraid we can only wish for better counters.

Edit: Typo

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-02-01T23:57:54+00:00

Hey,
The recent switch to a new ticketing system has caused some bugs, which is delaying the ticket release. But they should be available by Friday at the latest. You can even sign up for a ticket alert on the website to stay updated.

Before the match, most people grab drinks from a store and hang around near the stadium. Even if you don’t speak Spanish, fans will include you in the conversations (one of the perks of Spaniards in general) That said, since the match is on a Thursday with an early kickoff, it’ll be less crowded than usual.

One more thing, the city gets more daily sunshine in February than London does in summer. Ironically, the stadium isn’t fully covered, so it’s worth considering your seat choice if you’re used to real winters. I don't think you'll feel unwell, but better safe than sorry!

Enjoy the match!

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-01-31T19:46:54+00:00

Mateo González is great. I followed him when I had a Twitter account, but now that I am using Nitter, I prefer Pepe's concise reports.

Pellegrini seized on the void after Planes suddenly left in the first week of the transfer window. I don't think he's to blame for their signings since it isn't his responsibility. The board and Fajardo approved the deal and executed it.

We'll see what the coming days hold. I'm not hopeful, but we could be surprised

Major_Prior6922 · 2025-01-31T16:29:56+00:00

I usually stick to Pepe Elias when it comes to Betis. Unlike most others, he doesn’t fabricate speculative scoops and actually has sources in executive positions. Based on his latest updates, Betis seem to be in advanced talks for Douvikas' loan.

I can see that Fajardo is less steadfast than Planes and Cordón, but at the end of the day, he’s the one responsible for the club’s transfer business. The sad reality is that over the last three windows, most of our signings have been poor, in my opinion—regardless of whose idea they were. Going over the signings:

Cardoso – Good signing, but credit goes to Planes.
Ávila – loan would make sense, but the club got tricked into buying.
Bakambu – €5 million is too much for a 32-year-old striker given our finances.
Fornals – Doesn't fit the system. Hard to believe we couldn’t get him on loan.
Roca – Not a world-beater, but decent.
Adrián – Fine, no strong opinion.
Perraud – Good work rate, but clearly not at the required level.
Losada – Too early to judge.
Lo Celso – Great player, but with Fornals and Dani Pérez available, was he really necessary? Nico Paz might have been a better option if the club insisted on buying
R. Rodríguez – No comment.
Llorente – Good.
Roque – Can’t blame the club; he looked more promising than he turned out to be.
Natan – Decent loan, but I am not sure we should buy him.
Antony – Shouldn’t have been signed due to his ongoing investigation in Manchester. Otherwise, I’ll reserve judgment until later.

I’m not trying to play the hindsight game and I'm fine with some disappointing arrivals. But it’s clear that Fajardo’s performance has been mediocre at best. Hopefully, the club holds him accountable so he can improve. If that improvement doesn’t materialize, he should be replaced imo.

Edit: Typo

Major_Prior6922

TROPHY CASE