Meet the Englishman looking to outshine Jude Bellingham and Marcus Rashford in La Liga

Former Blackburn winger Tyrhys Dolan has played his part for La Liga surprise package Espanyol and the ex-Manchester City youngster has been enjoying his time in Barcelona

It has been a summer of English interest in La Liga, with Trent Alexander-Arnold joining Jude Bellingham at Real Madrid and Marcus Rashford completing a loan move to Barcelona. They weren’t the only ones, though, and compatriot Tyrhys Dolan has hit the ground running since a summer move to Espanyol which might have flown under the radar.

Espanyol finished just two points outside the relegation zone last season, but have lost just one of their first seven games – away at the Bernabeu – and will end the weekend in the European spots if they can beat Real Betis on Sunday. Former Blackburn winger Dolan has played his part, grabbing two assists in a 3-2 victory over Mallorca and justifying his decision to make a big leap when his contract at Ewood Park expired.

“Being a free agent, you’re gonna get quite a few offers. which I did. But when the Espanyol offer got brought to me, that was something that I felt like I needed to take that next step into my career,” Dolan tells Mirror Football.

“La Liga is obviously one of the best leagues in the world and for me, it’s a real challenge, one that I wanted to take. It’s stepping out of my comfort zone, and I think that’s when you see players, you know, make them sacrifices and go on and test themselves, it brings out the best of them, so, you know, that was what was appealing to me.

“It’s always tough leaving home, but to get the most out of your career you’ve got to make sacrifices. And it’s nice to see that it’s paying off.”

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Dolan, now 23, spent time in Manchester City’s academy as a teenager and spent time at Preston North End before making his name with Blackburn. He played more than 200 times for Rovers, spending time on the pitch with players like Adam Wharton and Joe Rothwell who left for Premier League opportunities.

He moved even further from home when the time came to leave Blackburn, and he does miss some of those home comforts. Dolan has six siblings, and would often head back to his mum’s house in Manchester after training sessions, so he respects the sacrifices his family and friends make to support his career in Barcelona.

“That’s been the biggest change for me, just like you’re kind of isolating yourself, but I’ve got a top support system,” he says. “My family are coming over for the game on Sunday and my friends, they’re willing to visit any time I need someone there, if needed. So yeah, it’s been obviously a big change, but I know that there’re only a two-and-a-half hour flight away it’s not the other side of the world.

“To have your loved ones there, it’s just like that safety net, that security. When they’re in the stadium and you’re playing a match and you know your loved ones are there, it’s it’s that feeling [that] no matter how the game goes, good game, bad game, you’ve got someone to go back to and conversate with.

“So definitely it’s important to have your people around you when you can, really, without changing their lives too much. You don’t want to start [making them fly out] every single week because they feel like they need to, but it is nice and they’re willing to do that whenever possible.”

Espanyol feels like a family club to Dolan, with manager Manolo Gonzalez welcoming him with open arms and even messing around with him despite the language barrier. “Un poquito” [a little bit] is Dolan’s answer when asked how his Spanish and Catalan is coming along – he’s having two lessons every week as he works on being able to communicate better with his team-mates and the fans – but there’s also a bit of Englishness to the dressing room.

His new squad have a hard-working mentality, responding to last season’s close shave by setting out to prove they’re where they belong, while regular team dinners cement that sense of togetherness. As for Dolan’s own game, the support he’s received from manager Gonzalez has been key.

“He wants me to to express myself as much as I can. and sometimes previously I’ve had managers where I feel like there’s been ceilings being put on my creativity,” Dolan says. “People have the way they want to work, and that’s fine, but I think he’s really allowing me to be myself and I think that’s when I do play my best football, when I’m given that that license to go and create.

“He said, ‘I’ve brought you here to do that, so I want you to maximise it as best as you can, but don’t forget you’ve got to get back and defend!’ You know, you make sure that I’m working hard, but some things don’t need to be explained to me. I know that that’s a standard.

“I base myself off of working hard, so I’m always back helping my full-backs at any point. And yeah he’s just’s been amazing with me. He also understands it’s a big change coming from your home to new environments and… you just know that he’s got that love for you without actually expressing it, you can feel it.”

While compatriots Alexander-Arnold and Rashford were able to speak to club and international colleagues about what La Liga might bring, Dolan didn’t have the same outlet. He recalls speaking to former Blackburn team-mate Ben Brereton Diaz after the Chile international moved to Villarreal but they didn’t speak directly before Dolan’s own move – and he admits a reminder of the standards might have put the fear in him.

“The standard of course in itself is a massive jump and that’s no disrespect to the Championship,” he says. “It’s an amazing league with some quality, quality players, but the quality here is different…

“It’s more like that on the ball quality, the tactics that go into the game is just a different level and it’s also that consistency… You’ve got to be consistent in this league because all the top players are consistent and every single game you’ve got to be at it because you can get really punished.

“It’s not kind of who just turns up on the day. It’s you’re playing against top, top teams, so for us, it’s just like preparing right and, yeah, for me, it’s been a big change. I know some people do struggle with the transition, but for me, so far, it’s kind of been going good.

“It’s not been easy, but,` it’s gone well for me. the first seven games of the season. So, yeah, I’m happy with myself and how I perform, but I don’t want to rest. I’ve got to keep working because I know the quality provides the standard.”

He points to Real Madrid as the biggest defensive test he’s faced – itself high praise after he made his debut against Diego Simeone’s famously stingy Atletico in a statement win – but has no regrets after admitting the reason he moved was to test himself against “the best of the best”. And, while he isn’t getting ahead of himself when it comes to England opportunities, there’s no doubt national boss Thomas Tuchel has eyes on La Liga.

Rashford’s Barcelona form has earned him a call-up for the upcoming international break, while the squad also includes Serie A midfielder Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Bundesliga starters Harry Kane and Jarell Quansah. Dolan’s only England experience has come at age-group level – he scored for the Under-20s back in 2022 when they beat a Germany side including current Newcastle star Nick Woltemade – and his mindset is to keep doing what he’s doing and see where that takes him.

“It’s good to see and, for me, it’s also that bit of competition,” he says. “England does have some top talent and the players [being] willing to make that sacrifice for their football to come out to Spain and test themselves in a top league is good.

“You’re playing in in the top leagues in the world and you’re playing against some of the top defenders. So if I can keep having great games, you know, hopefully at some point I’ve got to start turning some heads.

“It’s all on me. I control what I can control. Stuff like [international recognition] is obviously out of my control, but I just want to focus on my game and my main focus is Espanyol, of course. That international recognition is amazing, of course, but, I’m here to do a job and I want to keep maximising that as best as I can.”

UK fans can watch LALIGA live throughout this season via Premier Sports, or on Disney+ for each Saturday 8pm kick off

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