Luís Castro Leads Levante to Brink of La Liga Safety in Remarkable Turnaround

Luís Castro, the Portuguese coach who started his career coaching five-year-olds, has guided Levante to the verge of safety in La Liga, pulling the club from the bottom of the table to within touching distance of survival. The 41-year-old, little known when appointed in December, has overseen a remarkable transformation that has left fans and club officials ecstatic.

Levante president Pablo Sánchez admitted he had never heard of Castro before hiring him. “I had heard of another Luís Castro but not this one,” Sánchez said. “And this one turned out to be the ideal coach for our club.” The other Luís Castro, also Portuguese but 19 years older, is a well-known manager who has coached Shakhtar Donetsk and Grêmio.

Castro’s quiet, unassuming demeanor belies an iron will. He inherited a team that had taken just nine points from 14 games and were rooted to the bottom of the table. Under interim coaches, they managed only one more point in two games before Castro’s arrival.

“When Levante sacked Julián Calero in November, they were 19th, level with bottom of the table Real Oviedo,” the article states. The club has the smallest salary limit in the first division at €17.4m, and their fight for survival was considered nearly impossible.

Castro’s first session began with a minute’s silence for Delia Bullido, the club’s beloved press officer of 25 years. Then they got to work. Three days later, they beat Sevilla 3-0. Three games after that, a 96th-minute winner helped them defeat Elche 3-2. The turnaround had begun.

The coach implemented clear roles and non-negotiable tasks. “We were letting too many goals in transitions; when we were attacking, we weren’t ready to lose the ball,” he told Cadena Ser. Levante stepped forward, opened the pitch, and pressed. “But this isn’t athletics: it’s more often about your brain than your physical qualities.”

Castro emphasized honesty with players. “Players are people, intelligent, and if you’re honest with them, just, they know what they have to do,” he said. “If they’re not playing they know why not and what they have to change.” He added that players are told what they are good at and what needs improvement.

The coach’s authority is evident despite his quiet nature. “There are no explanations if you’re out the team, just an expectation that you react,” he said. “If the worst player has the best salary, it doesn’t matter: he doesn’t play.” This meritocratic approach has transformed the squad.

Karl Etta Eyong, Levante’s most expensive signing at €3m, scored five goals in his first 10 games but hasn’t started any of the last 14. “He went from the third tier to everyone talking about him, almost making him think he was the best in the world,” Castro said. The coach has given him time and confidence, and Eyong scored the winner against Osasuna.

In his place, Carlos Espí, a 20-year-old youth product from Tavernes, who didn’t start a game until February, has scored nine goals in his last 12 appearances. He has become the season’s great revelation and the embodiment of Levante’s unexpected rise.

Levante have won seven of their last 12 games; they had only won four all season until February. “We were the main candidates to go down and now we’re one step from salvation,” Sánchez said. “Castro surprised us. He has shown a lot of knowledge and fast.” The president expressed absolute delight with the coach.

The team had a drop-off in February, losing four consecutive games, but recovered. May opened with a 5-1 defeat at Villarreal, yet they kept fighting. When they beat Celta in midweek, Levante climbed out of the relegation zone for the first time this year, with fans gathering at the airport to welcome them home.

Despite being pulled back by results elsewhere, on Sunday they defeated Mallorca 2-0 at the Ciutat de València. That victory lifted them clear of the bottom three and dragged Mallorca into the relegation places, leaving them 15th in the table with one game remaining.

According to Opta, Levante’s chances of going down are just 6%, while Osasuna’s are 9%, Elche’s 35%, Girona’s 55%, and Mallorca’s 95%. A specific combination of results next Saturday could still send Levante down, but it is highly unlikely.

“If there was a drop off after the superb start, February bringing four defeats a row and seeming to condemn them; if the fact that everyone at the bottom started winning too, making it feel like survival was always going to be just out of reach,” the article notes. But now land is close.

On a dramatic final day of action across La Liga, where Valencia escaped relegation and Alavés secured safety, the Ciutat de València experienced both triumph and despair. Mallorca’s players apologized to their fans, knowing they need a miracle. Levante’s players lined up before theirs, knowing they had performed one.

A league table since Castro took over would have Levante third, having taken 32 points from 20 games compared to 10 from 16 before his arrival. The actual table has them in 15th place, relegation receding. “The numbers are good but if we don’t finish it off we’ll be left with a very bad feeling,” Castro said.

“They have 24 hours to enjoy this, as they always have when they win, and then we will get back to work,” he added. “We can’t think ‘we’re out’, no, no, no. We’re not safe yet and we won’t look at the table, not until week 38. And it’s still week 37.”