Madrid, July 21 (IANS) Newly-promoted Malaga continued preparations for their return to La Liga by signing midfielder Carlos Dotor on loan from Celta Vigo for a second consecutive season, the club announced on Tuesday.
Dotor returns to Malaga after helping the southern Spanish club end its top-flight exile by winning promotion from the second division last season.
The 25-year-old made 40 appearances for Malaga last season, scoring one goal and providing four assists. He became increasingly influential after Juanfran Funes was appointed first-team coach in November, prompting Funes to bring him back for the club’s return to the top flight.
“The footballer will immediately join in the pre-season training sessions,” the report said, adding that Dotor “arrived at Malaga a year ago and gave excellent performances last season and was vital in the historic promotion to La Liga.”
Earlier, Argentine-born winger Juan Cruz also returned to Malaga as the southern Spanish club strengthened their side ahead of the upcoming La Liga season.
The 26-year-old moved to Spain as a child and came through Malaga’s youth academy, making four first-team appearances before joining Real Betis and later Leganes, where he spent the past two seasons.
Malaga officially confirmed his return on Sunday, with Cruz joining on an initial one-season loan deal that includes an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
Cruz can play on either wing and impressed during Leganes’ 2024-25 La Liga campaign. However, a disagreement with the Madrid-based club saw him fall out of favour as Leganes struggled in Spain’s second division last season.
He is Malaga’s second signing of the summer after centre-back Fernando Calero arrived from Espanyol earlier this week.
The club also extended the contracts of coach Juanfran Funes and attacking midfielder Dani Lorenzo. Malaga booked its ticket back to the elite with a thrilling 2-1 win away to Almeria nine days ago, returning to Spain’s top flight for the first time since relegation in 2018 and ending a period in which the club dropped as low as the third tier of the Spanish game.
Funes was promoted from Malaga’s B team in November 2025 when the club was struggling against relegation and turned its fortunes around in remarkable style, winning 19 and drawing nine of his 33 games at the helm to end the regular season in fourth place in the Spanish second division before defeating Las Palmas and Almeria in the playoffs to secure a return to La Liga.
–IANS
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