Who is Carlos Espi? Real Madrid land Levante's breakout striker to be Jose Mourinho's Plan B

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Who is Carlos Espi? Real Madrid land Levante's breakout striker to be Jose Mourinho's Plan B originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

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Real Madrid have sold Gonzalo Garcia, one of their most recent academy graduates, for €40 million ($46 million) to Premier League side Fulham — the team now coached by ex-Madrid boss Alvaro Arbeloa.

Yet move quickly in Valdebebas. On Thursday, Madrid signed Garcia's replacement: another young, tall Spanish centre-forward who has made a name for himself — and a good one at that — in La Liga.

Madrid paid the buyout clause of €25m ($28.8m) in Carlos Espi's Levante contract and officially signed the striker on Thursday, July 30.

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Who is Carlos Espi?

Espi is a 21-year-old striker from Tavernes de la Valldigna in the Valencia region of Spain, and one who has become one of the big breakouts in La Liga in recent seasons.

A product of Levante's youth academy, he went from a starring role in the Juvenil A side to a first-team debut in early 2024, becoming a key player in their promotion to the top flight. Standing at an impressive 1.94 metres (6-3') tall, Espi is known for his physical strength, excellent back-to-goal play, and clinical finishing from inside the opposition box.

Opta data shows that, among players to score at least 10 goals in La Liga last season, Espi had the second-highest percentage of headed goals (36.4%), behind only Atletico Madrid's Alexander Sorloth (38.5%).

He truly blossomed last season, scoring 13 goals in 27 appearances (often as a substitute) across La Liga and the Copa del Rey, becoming Levante's top scorer and leading the club to top-flight safety. His performances earned him the La Liga Under-23 Player of the Year award and a spot in Spain's youth national teams.

How Carlos Espi can be Jose Mourinho's Plan B

Espi arrives at the Santiago Bernabeu as a tactical Plan B for Jose Mourinho when he needs a tall, powerful centre-forward in the penalty area — something Madrid have benefited from in recent seasons with Gonzalo Garcia and Joselu. He has a very different profile to Madrid's other forwards such as Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior, or Endrick.

This is the most expensive sale of an academy player in Levante's history and comes just four years after he joined the club's setup. His rise has been swift, and he could soon be a household name beyond Spanish domestic football.

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