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Monchi: "We have to look forward"
The new sporting director talks to the media
Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo, better known as Monchi, held his presentation press conference this Tuesday and clearly outlined the key principles that will guide his work in charge of the sporting directorate.
“I've felt the affection and enthusiasm of everyone here already. I come to RCD Espanyol with a sense of responsibility and a tremendous desire to make this project as solid as possible. A club like this deserves my absolute best effort to look to the future with optimism,” commented the new sporting director.
“Manolo González is the person in whom we will place all our trust to achieve what I've outlined: a solid project. From the very first moment we came in, he knew that our confidence in him was absolute. That confidence has grown with each day I've worked with him. He is the ideal person to build the RCD Espanyol we all want.”
He revealed the circumstances that led to his appointment at the club, which came about several months ago.
“I met with the president, Alan Pace, for a talk, and at that dinner there was a connection from the very beginning. After that, there were more meetings, and the relationship began to get more serious. We reached an agreement, and I feel comfortable, satisfied, excited, and grateful to be here.”
“This club can boast of having many things. There is excitement, desire, and motivation. We have to aspire to be ambitious, but keep our feet on the ground -because this is football. We can dream of being an ambitious club that reflect the desires of the fans and the club's history.”
He acknowledged that “money doesn't guarantee success. My vision involves building structures fit for a world as competitive as this one. I will meet with Manolo González in the coming hours to lay the foundations for what Espanyol should be in the future, to see what we want for next season's squad.”
“This is a club that was promoted from the Segunda División, finished 14th last year, and placed 11th this year. There's still work to be done, but I'm coming in with ambition and tremendous enthusiasm.”
Monchi affirmed that his project will also give a prominent role to the youth system and stressed that Ethe club “is big enough not to be compared to anyone else. We have to look ahead, not to one side. Our rival has to be ourselves, looking to improve.”
“I’m here because this is where I wanted to be -and where they wanted me to be. We have to build our own project, the one that this club deserve based on our history and fans. It must be a solid, progressive project, and when the season starts, we must begin by looking upwards, not downwards.”
Finally, Monchi also took the opportunity to thank the president, Alan Pace, “for the trust he has shown in me to join this project” and to recognise the work of Fran Garagarza and his team over the last three years, saying “I want to wish him a speedy recovery and hope he can return to his work as soon as possible.”