Iván Romero set to lead Levante's attack this season

Iván Romero arrives at the new La Liga season in form and with a real chance of being Levante's opening striker in next Sunday's debut against Espanyol. According to MARCA, the market shake-up in the Valencian side's attack—with Carlos Espí's departure to Real Madrid—has opened the door for the Sevillian to be Luís Castro's choice.

The forward finishes pre-season as the team's top scorer, tied with Roger Brugé and ahead of Etta Eyong and the already-transferred Espí. His brace against Castellón in the final warm-up has cleared doubts about his availability, despite minor muscle issues he's carried through preparation. "Goals matter and are very important for a striker like me. We're very happy with pre-season," the player said after the match, confident in bringing that team connection into official competition.

Romero enters his fourth season as a Levante player, his second in the top flight. In his 65 official matches wearing the shirt, he's scored 17 goals and provided five assists. Yanis Musuayi is another option up front, though he has accumulated few minutes in pre-season.