• The winger has been involved in more than half of the 12 goals scored by the club in La Liga this season

Those who suggest that returning to a club for a second term is never a good idea should look at the case of Fidel Chaves at Elche. At 31 years of age the winger has reached the peak of his career in his second stint as franjiverde.

Since arriving from Las Palmas on a free transfer 18 months ago he has scored 13 goals and provided 10 assists in his 56 games for the club, in addition to which he has been involved in promotion from Segunda A to La Liga.

Last Tuesday against Osasuna (2-2), he scored his third goal of the current campaign, equalling Lucas Boyé as the top scorer at Elche.

He also overtakes his scoring record from the last time in he played with Elche in La Liga, two goals in the 2013/2014 season.

Fidel plays a “very important” role for coach, Jorge Almirón. This season he has played twelve of the fourteen league games for Elche, eleven as a starter. He missed two through injury. He is developing into a cornerstone of the Elche team’s attack, having been involved in more than half of Elche’s 12 goals in the domestic championship.

The Andalusian winger has scored a quarter of those goals, against Valencia (2-1), Celta (1-1), this from a penalty, and last week against Osasuna (2-2). He has also provided most assists, for the franjiverde along with Tete Morente.

However, despite the personal success he is currently enjoying, Fidel acknowledged after the clash against Osasuna (2-2) that the team is going through “a very complicated dynamic”, but he considers that “it still continues to improve week after week.”

He said “We must overcome the poor run of results that we are currently suffering and recover from the blows in recent weeks. The hallmark of fighting until the last minute and committing 100% to every game will continue until end of season”, he said on the Elche website.

And what better game do we have coming up in which we can show our commitment to the club, although it will be very difficult to get any sort of result, the next La Liga fixture for Elche CF will be next Wednesday at 9.30 pm when they entertain Real Madrid at home.

Photo: Fidel, cornerstone of the Elche attack – Image Elche CF