“We want to bring three or four players to make a difference”

Everything has changed a lot and he has done well. I can’t tell if I was expecting it or not. The magnitude of what we’ve done lately I don’t know if I have the ability to extrapolate. We will go up, we will fight, we will make a stadium … No, no. Initially, when we arrived, the idea was to take a step forward in terms of the club and give it a capacity for solidity. From that we went to the idea of ​​getting involved with ourselves and our people. That meant we needed a partner and found the City Group. Then we went up to Primera and thought we couldn’t drop it. One thing has led to another. Yes, it is true that when you start a project and then get involved, you think big. It was all about trying to achieve what we have today, which is a club that is relatively well known, with which people identify, that tries to do things well on and off the field … We are proud of all this and we can say it with a big mouth.

Let’s talk about numbers. What changes now playing in First in relation to competing in Second? Budget, subscribers …

It is clear that the salary cap will increase with the jump to the First. The budget will be about 50 million euros. The limit, I would not know if 30, 27 or 32. That’s where the thing will go. It was now much lower and more difficult to define, but it has been around 10 million. Partners and subscribers? uring these years in Second our liking has been very engaged in the cause. In the most difficult and complicated times we have had, talking about the blows we have suffered, he has sided with us. We had about 9,000 members, a decent number. In the First Division, considering that we will expand the capacity of the stadium and there will be more than 13,000 seats, the expectations are not exactly what they are, but there will be more subscribers. These are very good numbers in this regard. Everything that has happened to us in recent years, we have generated more fans, more empathy. People wanted to make Girona. We were a few and now I think we will be more. The normal thing in this situation is to grow. One thing will be the members and another the subscribers, of course. And it will be necessary to leave some places for sale to the public.

Continuing with this thread. Will it be more expensive to see Girona in Montilivi in ​​the First Division?

We will adjust the prices because the last reference we have on hand is the 2018/19 season.

Was it necessary to charge subscribers to watch the play-off matches?

This was super necessary because we come from a few years in which we have suffered a lot of financial problems, which have led us to make various capital increases of a lot of money. It’s just that we needed it, really. We didn’t do it because yes and without any arguments behind it, but for financial needs.

What did the pre-elite experience, especially the second season, teach them?

What we have learned is that the workforce must be as competitive as possible. And that every game will be difficult, because in the First Division the quality of the players is very important. First get this. The more capacity and tools the coach has, and the higher the level, the more chances we have of saving ourselves. And not to suffer what we suffered three years ago. We are no longer newcomers, but we have experience in the category. We know what kind of player we want. I think this ascent catches us at a much better time than the previous one. Obviously the fall of 2019 gives us an alert of what to do and what not to do. We think about what needs to be done best to have a better staff. This time we have to be non-conformist until the last day of the market.

A few days ago he said that only three or four reinforcements were needed.

I think we have a backbone at the staff level that is important and at the same time gives the level to compete in the First Division and do it with guarantees. The templates are made up of two or three player mass profiles. When I was talking about three or four reinforcements, I was referring to three or four footballers of a certain level. An important level. Those who should make a difference. We now had a little over twenty players on the squad. We will stay the ones we will stay, we will see how many we need. And when the signings come, there will be three, four or five with experience in the First Division, which will make a difference, as I said before.

The other day he explained that Samuel Umtiti was not ruled out. What did he mean by that?

No, I didn’t mean anything. That was a pussy, on a radio show. I was told if I was interested in some Barça players, such as Umtiti himself, Riqui Puig or the other. And I, for the sake of contempt and saying that I was not interested in Umtiti, for example, said that I did not rule it out. Oysters, and then they commented Hey, you gave us the headline. And that’s exactly how it went. Everyone posted it.

Another proper name and this one we have here: Cristhian Stuani. For many summers there has been anxiety about leaving. Do you see him retiring to Girona now?

Stuani made a bet the year we went down and not enough has been talked about, yet. We will now give you the medals that we should have given you at that time. We took it for granted. Now, having been promoted to the First Division, I don’t see him wanting to leave. Because he’s fine here, he’s delighted. At the time he had it best to leave he didn’t. Now that everything is supposed to be up to him to stay, it’s normal for him to continue. With Stuani, whatever he wants and when he wants. Is it like that.

And has the club never considered that for the sake of the economy, especially in Segona, it would have been better if Stuani had left?

You see, you can think of that, but at the same time you can look at it from a different perspective. Because you always need a goal and he is fine, and with a player like that you are always closer to reaching the goal. In the Second Division, if you start pulling and trimming, even though you’re forced to do it, you have to make an effort not to pull everything out. Positive things weighed much more on Stuani than on negative spending.

When it came down to Second, Girona was the richest in the category. Was it wrong to invest everything in a staff that did not deliver as expected?

That year, and everyone said it, I think a very good staff was made. Maybe today we would do different things, I’m not saying no, maybe two or three players that wouldn’t have been necessary. But it is very easy to talk now. We tried to have about twenty very competitive men and double the positions, so that the first and the second were equally good. May this internal competition be the engine that runs all year round. We made a powerful squad for everyone to compete against everyone else. At the halfway point, for example, we had Borja García and at the same time Samu Saiz. They had to compete with each other. The paper holds everything, but then comes the day to day, the management, who wants to win and who does not … And it is here, at the level of management, that we might do different things. The reality is that it didn’t work for us.

The mayor, Marta Madrenas, explained that she spoke to you about the desire to do things in Montilivi. What things?

We haven’t stopped doing things!

Yes, but there are people who go to the Huesca countryside, for example, and are amazed at the kind of reform that has been done there. At the stadium everything is still temporary …

Yes, but we can’t do everything. First of all, the Huesca countryside is owned. Ours is a concession. We went down to Segona and we had the dilemma of what to do: whether a powerful squad and keep Montilivi as we have it, or renovate the stadium and build a not so powerful squad. Because if you never climb again, the field will be very nice but no one will come. The Sports City also enters here, which will be our property and will remain tomorrow, being able to train players such as Arnau, Artero, Ureña and company. It has to be decided. This does not mean that more or less investment should be made in Montilivi.

Or another dilemma: do you want to reform this field or make another one?

Is that here we would enter into another discussion. If the years go by and we have a significant amount of money, we may have to decide whether to rebuild Montilivi or build a new stadium. Imagine that we are consolidating in Primera and we have 50 million to do things. There will be opinions of all kinds. Those who will want to stay here because the place is magnificent and historic, and others, who will think that it is better to buy a new apartment than to renovate what you already have. For now, our priority is to stay competitive, try to take a step on the issue of the sports city, have a strong base and consolidate in the First Division. Montilivi? If we can improve things, we will. Because yes, the field is in a very nice place, the views are great, but the stadium is not too well done.

And are they clear on where to start improving?

Yes, yes, yes. There are plans to deal with the reform. How many phases, how much would it cost us, what is going on in the first phase, in the second … If you start here, there. There are different scenarios, depending on our financial capacity. Going down to Second has made it impossible for us to pull all this forward. And you have to make a capital increase of 22 million euros to be able to have a competitive workforce for three years. That this does not assure you anything, but to fight not to lose the category. We did well, because we went up again.

He has named the sports city. Is Vilablareix the first choice?

We had three options. Vilablareix is ​​one of them, it’s true. Then there’s another one. But Vilablareix, in general, is the one who makes the most of the situation and all that. But that’s what we said. Depending on this, the other can be done. You must have a plan A and a plan B.

But wherever, the first stone should be laid this coming season?

Yes. Of couse. Because the goal now, at the patrimonial level, is to have it up and running as soon as possible.

So at what exact moment is the construction of the sports city?

We are at the point where an economic agreement has just been reached and there are legal and requalification issues in between. We need to make sure we don’t make an investment and then nothing can be done about it. If this option, which is the first, does not work, then we will try the second. The money, the investment, the approval to start now, we have it and it’s done.

Having gone up to Primera will there be a stay in Manchester?

The intention is that yes, everyone is in favor of spending a week in Manchester. But obviously, it all depends on the dates and the availability of the facilities.

It has had a great impact on having a competitive staff. Where there is not so much concern is on the sidewalk. With Michel, has the ideal coach finally been found?

Yes. I think we found him and he found us too. It is a good communion of Michel and Girona. Luckily, in this sense we have where to really build, which is around the coach, whom we already renewed before going up.