Raba and Baptiste dig their heels in at Valencia despite club's exit plans
Valencia's transfer deadline day plans hit a snag as Diego Raba and Jhojan Baptiste refuse to leave despite the club's desire to free up space for a right-winger.
Valencia’s transfer window ends with a whimper as two summer signings refuse to budge, complicating the club’s plans to strengthen their right flank before the deadline.
Unwanted pair staying put
Despite sporting director Ron Gourlay suggesting before the Betis match that squad movement was unlikely on deadline day, MARCA has confirmed that Valencia were indeed trying to offload both Diego Raba and Jhojan Baptiste before the window closed.
The club’s motivation was clear - they wanted to create space for a new right-sided attacker. However, both players and their representatives have firmly rejected any possibility of departing, choosing instead to see out their contracts at Mestalla.
Even Rubén Corberán’s decision to leave Raba out of the squad traveling to Seville wasn’t enough to change the attacker’s mind. Talk about being thick-skinned!
Summer arrivals turned winter headaches
Both players arrived during the summer as part of the mini-revolution orchestrated by Corberán and Miguel Ángel Corona before the latter departed for Greece. Of the eight signings made, Raba and Baptiste have featured least prominently:
- Raba initially got playing time but quickly disappeared from contention once Danjuma arrived
- The attacker is tied to Valencia until 2027 on what must be a tidy contract
- Baptiste, who joined on a free like Raba, signed a two-year deal
- The midfielder’s form has nosedived dramatically since his early appearances
- Guido Rodríguez’s arrival has further diminished Baptiste’s already limited prospects
No movement, no offers
What’s particularly telling is that despite their bleak sporting situations, neither player has generated much interest in the transfer market. The club hasn’t presented them with concrete offers to consider, which partly explains their reluctance to leave.
Barring some last-minute miracle, both players will remain part of Valencia’s squad until the end of the season, leaving the club’s brass with egg on their face after failing to shift their deadwood.