Winter transfer market
“When you arrive at a team, unless you do so well in advance, with a very long-term project, it’s always a delicate moment. When a new sports director arrives, or a new coach, people tend to focus on changes. I, usually, believe in the people who are here, they are the most important. The main thing is to try and help, see what you can do, and what you can make available to them. Then, I think there’s a great match with the needs of the team. Everyone was talking about a central defender and a pivot. They were so quick that on the 1st January, when the market opened, we had three footballers here. Not just the central defender and the pivot, but also Alberto Bueno. That gave the feeling that they were already people of the Club. By the 15th January, they were no longer new signings. They had adapted, were playing and immersed in the day to day. From then on, a new market started, as everyone realised that more was needed. As such, we began to focus on how the departures were looking, above all. The signings we had, the necessity of certain footballers to play, and the future of the market was outlining all the next movements. Once we had covered what we thought we needed, we looked at the market to see what was happening, and then certain exits were determined. We made 14 movements, which gives an average of one every 48 hours. To do that we had to process a lot of information, movements and failed negotiations to reach those numbers. These stats aren’t normal, despite the fact that there are seven new faces, and many important players have left in search of minutes, I still think the foundation that will give us the leap in quality is here in Málaga. Of course, all those who have come to help, they are here to try and collaborate in certain situations. Indeed, there are some who had minutes and are working with the idea, but the most important thing is the improvement on what we had before”.
Increasing the competition
“Some of those who have arrived will play every match, others will play less, and others, unfortunately, may not play at all. That’s normal. Those who were already here are good players too, and it doesn’t mean to say that all the new arrivals will get to play. I think it’ll be an incentive for everyone. People who were playing more regularly will now have more competition. This will increase the internal rivalry within the squad. That was the objective”.
Titanic effort
“We have a great deal of hope. We made a titanic effort in the market because we have faith. We will not throw in the towel. We have faith because the people have faith. In the last home game, the fans spurred on the team for 90 minutes. That obliges us, apart from being convinced ourselves, that the people are with us to the death. The effort was made to try and remain in the First Division”.
