Espanyol make first signing under Diego Martinez from Real Mallorca

Espanyol have kicked off the Diego Martinez era at the club, announcing the signing of Spanish left-back Brian Olivan.

The 28-year-old left-back arrives on a free from Real Mallorca after his contract expired, where he was regular. The player returns to his hometown of Barcelona and came through the ranks at Espanyol’s city rivals. Since, he has jumped across seven different teams in his career, passing through fellow La Liga opponents for next season Girona and Cadiz, before arriving at Mallorca.

Making 27 league appearances season, Olivan had to compete with the experienced Jaume Costa and in January, Uruguayan Giovanni Gonzalez also arrived.

He signs a three-year deal with Espanyol, as new manager Martinez looks to set the tone at Los Pericos. Olivan represents an experienced and solid choice at left-back following the departure of Didac Vila. His alternate as it stands would be Adria Pedrosa, who can be impressive going forward but a little less reliable without the ball.