Club: Valencia CF

Season (around): 2016/17

• Head coach: Cesare Prandelli (appointed November 2016; served briefly)
• President / Owner: Peter Lim (owner); club president during 2016/17: Layhoon Chan until December 2016, then trustees/board and later Anil Murthy as president in 2017.
• Home stadium: Mestalla (Valencia, Spain)
• Competition(s): La Liga, Copa del Rey
• 2016/17 La Liga finish: 12th place
• Notable events in 2016/17:
  • Marcelino García Toral started the 2016/17 season as head coach but was sacked in November 2016 after a poor run of results.
  • Cesare Prandelli was appointed on 29 November 2016 but resigned in March 2017 due to personal reasons and poor results; Voro (Joaquín Caparrós or the club caretaker Voro) served as caretaker manager subsequently to finish the season.
  • Significant squad changes and financial/ownership tensions under Peter Lim’s ownership affected stability during this period.
• Key players (squad around that season):
  • Diego Alves (goalkeeper)
  • Nelson Semedo (right back) — joined summer 2017, so slightly after 16/17; in 16/17 full-backs included João Cancelo (on loan earlier) and Martín Montoya (joined 2016/17)
  • Shkodran Mustafi (defender) — left in summer 2016 to Arsenal; center-backs during 16/17 included Nicolás Otamendi (left earlier), so pairing featured Gabriel Paulista (joined 2015), and others such as Aderllan Santos, Antonio Barragán rotating
  • Álvaro Negredo (forward) — on loan in that period; Paco Alcácer (forward) departed summer 2016 to Barcelona; Simone Zaza was briefly linked; Rodrigo Moreno was an important attacking player (on loan from Benfica during 2016/17)
  • André Gomes (midfielder) — part of the squad though he transferred to Barcelona in summer 2016; many midfield roles featured Dani Parejo (captain), Gayà (left back), and Paco Alcácer had left so attacks were unsettled.

Short summary: During the 2016/17 season Valencia experienced instability: poor league form leading to Marcelino’s sacking, Cesare Prandelli’s short and troubled tenure as head coach (appointed late Nov 2016, resigned March 2017), and caretaker management to finish the season. The club finished mid-table (12th) and was undergoing ownership- and management-related upheaval under Peter Lim.