Madrid, July 27 (IANS) Real Betis goalkeeper Diego Conde is expected to spend several weeks on the sidelines after dislocating his left shoulder on his debut for the club. Betis confirmed the injury on Monday after the 26-year-old was hurt during Saturday's preseason friendly against Granada, just days after completing his move from Villarreal.
Conde was forced off after colliding with defender Diego Llorente midway through the first half at Granada's Los Carmenes Stadium. The club said Conde suffered a dislocation of his left shoulder. The shoulder was put back into place at the stadium before the goalkeeper left with his arm in a sling.
Although Betis have not given a timetable for his recovery, Spanish media reports indicate Conde is likely to be sidelined for at least six weeks.
The injury leaves Alvaro Valles as Betis' only fit senior goalkeeper, with Ukraine under-17 international Yan Zhuravski providing backup.
Betis open their La Liga campaign against Real Sociedad on August 22, with Conde also expected to miss matches against Valencia, Levante, Real Madrid and his former club Villarreal.
It was only last week that Real Betis had completed a transfer agreement with La Liga rivals Villarreal for Conde’s long-anticipated move to Andalusia. Shot-stopper Conde has, for his part, seen his name dominate the transfer chatter at Real Betis for several weeks now.
After the brass in Seville set out to source a replacement for Pau López, the 27-year-old was quickly identified as the ideal profile for Manuel Pellegrini’s squad.
Talks, in turn, were kick-started between the respective boards at Betis and Villarreal. And as alluded to above, on Monday, these discussions have officially borne fruit in the form of a season-long loan transfer.
Real Betis, which has a tumultuous history and many relegations, won the league title in 1935 and the Copa del Rey in 1977, 2005 and 2022.
Betis was able to qualify for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in twenty years following their 5th place finish in the 2025–26 season.
--IANS
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