Tete Morente, the final remaining regular first team player in the Malaga squad, has packed his bags and is heading to newly promoted Elche after the Primera side paid his modest 200,000-euro release clause on Wednesday.

The winger, who had signed from Lugo in January on the minimum wage for Segunda (40,000 euros for the remainder of the year), remained on that salary when he extended his contract in the summer for a further year. His discontent, however, at remaining on this salary despite being one of the side's top performers then led to him seeking a move elsewhere.

His spot in the squad was immediately filled with the arrival of Jozabed on loan from Celta Vigo. The attacking midfielder, with vast experience in Primera (113 matches) and Segunda (51), is by far Malaga's most high-profile arrival this summer.

The 29-year-old joins on a season-long loan after having extended his contract with Celta until 2022. Last season he played for Girona, also on a loan deal.

Earlier on the same day, Malaga confirmed what was, at that time, their eighth summer recruit: left-back José Matos who joins on loan from Cadiz.

Despite being just 25, Matos, who came through the Sevilla academy, has already played 85 games in Segunda, mainly for Sevilla's B team. He also featured once for the first team in Primera.

Last season he joined Dutch side Twente on loan from Cadiz, who he joined in 2018 on a free, but a serious knee injury ruled him out for the season after starting the first two games of the campaign.

Matos, as the only recognised left-back in the squad, could go straight into the team for the game against Castellón. Against Tenerife, youth players Alejandro Benítez and Ismael Casas both covered the position despite usually playing on the right.

The pair will now have more opportunities to play there as Cifu looks to be follow Tete out the door, also to Elche, pending confirmation. The long-serving wing-back was included in the club's ERE mass redundancy plan.