Boys from the RCD Espanyol soccer academy practice during a training session at Dani Jarque training camp in Sant Adria de Besos, near Barcelona, Spain February 20, 2017. REUTERS/ Albert Gea
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Chinese-owned Espanyol are pushing for a return to European football for the first time in a decade barely a year after being taken over and their rise has been fuelled by a new generation of home-grown talent rather than big-money signings.
When the Catalans, beaten UEFA Cup finalists in 2007, thrashed Osasuna 3-0 on Sunday to move to within four points of a Europa League spot there was extra satisfaction as six of the 11 players on the pitch had come through the club's academy.
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