Before receiving the final call, the real one, Tito Blanco was fed up. His signing for Oviedo had been one step away just a year ago. That time Rubén Reyes was ahead of him when everything indicated that he was the chosen one. On this occasion luck smiled on him: the blue club ended up choosing him for sports management after another kind of casting, a common resource in Carso’s recent times, with Federico González as master of ceremonies.
So, just a year before the arrival of Pachuca, the final choice was Rubén Reyes. But the truth is that Tito never lost contact with Oviedo. Quite the contrary. His interlocutor since then was the aforementioned Federico González, adviser to the Carso Group and in charge of promoting his candidacy five months ago.
Tito ended up being the chosen one after an internal struggle in the entity that lasted several weeks. The only candidate who had full consensus was Chema Aragón, who was unable to leave Mirandés. After considering Aragón impossible, in each sector of the club they bet on a candidate and Arturo Elías would have the last word. It all came crashing down the same day Ziganda said goodbye. Lalo Arantegui, who had the backing of the council, took advantage, but rejected Oviedo’s offer, pending a project with more economic muscle.
The search accelerated, with Toni Cruz in the city and meeting at dawn with several managers, including César Martín. Federico González was not at the meeting, thus showing that his candidate was Tito Blanco, awaiting events in Valencia. So it was. The sports director arrived at Oviedo, although he was not the initial favorite nor did he have the endorsement of all the directors.
The adventure began with doubts and ended a few months later after only a transfer market and many events. Tito was not the sports director of Pachuca, he was not even the director of the council, who is still in Oviedo. His man, Federico González, was the first to leave when Jesús Martínez took over the blue club. Even so, Pachuca did not consider doing without the Valencian sports director.
She had no qualms about giving him support, even if he wasn’t her man. On the contrary. Martínez gave him ample freedom to configure the squad and the contact between the two was almost daily. He even gave Mexico the green light to incorporate Carlos Carreño, who was his right-hand man.
Tito proposed and Pachuca agreed if the transfers fell within the economic parameters. The sports director was clear about the profile of his signings in a way of working very different from that of his predecessor, Rubén Reyes. The Valencian looked for players with experience in the category and offered them short-term contracts. In total, 9 signings arrived, five of them with his seal.
Marcelo and Aceves signed via Pachuca, Braat was an inheritance from Reyes and Enrich a request from Bolo. Luengo, Pomares, Miguelón, Koba and Montoro were Tito’s bets, which Pachuca respected.
After the market, Tito decided to set up a technical secretariat, although on paper there was little progress. He reinforced the team of scouts, but on a day-to-day basis he only delegated to Carreño. With the members of the previous technical secretariat –Roberto Suárez, Mario Prieto and Álex Díaz– he barely had a relationship, something that isolated him in the club. Regarding the choice of coach, Bolo was not his first choice, but he supported him until the end in difficult moments. Now, in the sports crisis, Pachuca has decided to do without Tito, thus showing that the property is not satisfied with the configuration of the squad. Many voices in the club miss a winger.
The Valencian had planned a trip to Mexico weeks ago to exchange impressions with Jesús Martínez, but in the end it could not take place due to a bureaucratic issue. Now it won’t be necessary. Tito, a friendly, polite and close guy, leaves a project that for him already started crooked from the beginning. And Oviedo is looking for a sports director again. Again.
