Orta's revolving door: 11 managers in four seasons as Valladolid crisis deepens
Real Valladolid sporting director Victor Orta continues his remarkable managerial merry-go-round, with relegation now a serious threat for the Spanish club.
The sporting director with the itchiest trigger finger in football continues his remarkable record of sacking managers, with Valladolid now paying the price.
The Orta effect
Victor Orta’s reputation as a sporting director with the patience of a toddler in a sweet shop continues to grow. The numbers don’t lie - four consecutive seasons with at least two managers at each club he’s worked for. It’s proper mental when you think about it.
His trail of managerial casualties spans three clubs:
- Leeds United: Marcelo Bielsa, Jesse Marsch, Javi Gracia
- Sevilla 2023/24: José Luis Mendilibar, Diego Alonso, Quique Sánchez Flores
- Sevilla 2024/25: García Pimienta, Joaquín Caparrós
- Valladolid 2025/26: Álvaro Rubio, Almada (mutual agreement), and now Tevenet
After getting the boot from Sevilla, Orta rocked up at Valladolid in summer 2025, bringing his managerial merry-go-round with him. Three managers in under a season tells its own story - the bloke can’t seem to stick with anyone for more than five minutes.
Tevenet’s brief nightmare
Luis García Tevenet is the latest victim of Orta’s itchy trigger finger. The poor geezer only lasted seven matches in charge before getting his P45. His record makes for grim reading:
- 1 win
- 1 draw
- 5 defeats
- 4 points from a possible 21
The final straw was a 5-1 hammering away to Granada, leaving Valladolid in the relegation zone and staring down the barrel at dropping to Spain’s third tier. What started as a promotion push has turned into a desperate scrap for survival.
What’s next?
The rumour mill is already in overdrive, with Fran Escribá emerging as the frontrunner to take over the Valladolid hot seat. If appointed, he’ll be facing a completely different challenge than what was expected at the start of the season.
Instead of pushing for promotion, the new gaffer will be tasked with saving Valladolid from the drop - a proper dog and bone situation if ever there was one. The threat of relegation to the third tier (1RFEF) looms larger than ever.
For Orta, it’s another black mark on a CV that’s becoming more about who he’s sacked than who he’s appointed. The question Valladolid fans will be asking: is the problem really with all these managers, or does it lie with the bloke doing the hiring and firing?