Before attending to the media for around an hour, Arnau expressed his satisfaction at the recent concession of Arraijanal on behalf of the Málaga Town Hall in favour of the MCF Foundation, as a decisive step towards the construction of the new sports city for the Academy.

Press conference | Francesc Arnau

Season review with focus on the final stage

“We decided on Míchel to change the dynamic. You can notice Míchel’s hard work with the results, raising the players up to do what they had to do. The turning point was in Gijón and from then on, the team showed their potential. The players gave us a taste of what could have happened during the season with this type of gameplay. We all expected more, but the fans enjoyed the last part of the season with the team, and in the toughest part of the match calendar we earned the most points”.

Demichelis, joins Míchel’s coaching team

“We have three players with different cases. Weligton is now returning to Brazil, and he will have his place here to continue his career should he so wish. In regard to Duda, a contract has been offered to remain, and he is currently deciding whether to continue active or not. Demichelis is an important part of the group, he went from being in the starting line-up to the bench and understood his duties as a man who has experienced a thousand battles. I announce to you today that he will form part of the coaching team in substitution of Weligton”.

Adrián González, new signing

“Yes, I’ve spoken with Adrián and he will join the Málaga squad from 1^st July. We showed interest in him in January when we contacted him. He’s an experienced player in the Spanish league, performs well and has the ability to score. He arrives on a free transfer at zero cost, to make a more solid group. He’s a Club man and focuses on working as a group to achieve objectives. I think he’ll bring a lot to the team, he’s a versatile player.

Outline of the pre-season

“Having the squad ready before the start of the season I see as being difficult, but we’ll try. We’re kicking off on 5^th July with the medical exams; then the team will head to Benahavís until Friday 14^th, as we have confirmed a match in Coín against Sheffield United; we were considering going to South Africa, but are looking into other options in a colder location in central Europe until 29^th July; then we’ll start training here and play matches including the Costa del Sol Cup and perhaps others back and forth throughout Europe, until the 20^th when LaLiga begins”.

Club: family and professional

“Everything is consensual with the Sheikh, the line of the Club is set by our president. With his support, the idea is to create a team with identity. A group that feels the colours of this Club. As such, we’ve renewed players for three or four years. After all, they are the ones who will make us great. We all belong to Málaga, where there is a family atmosphere in a professional environment. The Sheikh marked this line of creating a large family that feels the colours. I keep daily contact with him and he is involved in all decisions”.

Future of Sandro

“There are many situations which don’t depend on us. We’ll see what happens, but what I can assure you of is that we’ll react as quickly as possible. The aim is to try and ensure Sandro stays here next season. We’ll do all we can so he remains here. Fans have shown him a great deal of love and we understand that we must make a lot of effort, both financially and from an affectionate point of view, so he stays here”.