Corona: “We are working very closely, with harmony and respect”

Valencia CF Technical Director, Miguel Ángel Corona, talked in a press conference on Thursday about matters relating to transfer policy, the club’s working methods and more.

It has been said that you were a secondary figure, but when one asks Mamardashvili's agents they point to you as a key to his signing, the same with Cavani and Gayà's agents. Why have you never spoken before, and why now?

I have not spoken after three years at the Club. There was another vision for communication. I have always been open to what the Club have wanted. Now this channel has been opened and I am delighted to be able to express as much as possible and say things that can help our fans. I like to be discreet because I think it's good for my Club. In negotiations, any talking can lead to misunderstandings that can harm negotiations. I am very happy to be working at this great Club and I am delighted to be able to transmit what I can to our fans. Our role is providing analysis, assessment and opinion to our president, and from there it goes to the majority shareholder. You can call it whatever you want, but the name is not important. It’s about the process. We are working very closely, with harmony and respect. We are very happy.

To what extent has Jorge Mendes helped to put together the squad?

Like any other agent who has a player in this squad. Whenever I have worked with Jorge I have received valuable information, but I have never felt that it goes beyond what is normal for any other agent. He is very concerned about Valencia CF winning.

You have been at the Club for three years, with many coaches. Bordalás asked for a No.6, Gracia asked reinforcements, but this year Gattuso was happy. What has changed so that the requests are fulfilled?

There is a criterion that has not changed since the summer of 2020, which is Financial Fair Play and how to adapt to it. What we have always wanted is to find a consensus, find the right profiles and achieve our own style. This year I have no hesitation in admitting that we are working with a beautiful harmony.

What is your analysis of the three years since Valencia CF have ceased to be regulars in European competition?

There is a factor that has affected the transfer markets, which is Financial Fair Play, and that was based on the year of COVID, when we suffered economic damage. What we are trying to do is rebuild ourselves and live up to what this club deserves -and give the fans the joy they deserve.

How are the renewals of Diakhaby and Lato going?

With Diakhaby the process is open. There are negotiations open. We sense a good predisposition on the part of the player and his agent and we will see in the next few days what happens. As for Toni, it's a hot topic. We must bear in mind that we had a matter that took priority, which was Gayà, and 24 hours ago we announced his renewal. This means that we have two players with a contract in place for this position. The third is Toni, with whom we are delighted, and a period of analysis has begun to make the pieces of the puzzle fit, because we are very happy with him.

Why has there been so much delay with Diakhaby? Were there doubts about his performance or was it for financial reasons?

There is still time. Even with Gayà we have shown that there is always time when there is a willingness. It does not only depend on one party as to when things are done. There was a time when there was an offer on the table and possibilities for the player to leave. The important thing is that right now we feel that there is a good predisposition for him to stay. He is happy with us. I think that this is the moment in which he has been happiest. He has gone through some difficult times and now he is very happy, and it is something that brings us closer to his renewal.

What is your influence in signings, beyond the fact that you are present in the negotiations?

We start with an analysis of our squad, our coach's preferences in terms of profiles, and who fits with our city, our club and our history. We define those profiles and provide names. We follow-up, propose players, and it is possible that when the market arrives it will not be what you expected. You don't know the Financial Fair Play limit until May-June. We have been very strict about knowing when we could register players. We see if there is space or not, if there is consensus. For me, the important thing is to work as a team, with the coach and the president, so that the majority shareholder is aware of things and we have his approval. If there is no consensus, a player is not signed.

How did you feel when people said that the club were looking for a Technical Director?

I have been competing in football since I was 19 years old at a professional level. Nothing gives me more energy than to go to work and do my best. I couldn’t waste energy on something that was out of my hands. It was in my power to give the best answers and the best solutions. I never thought it was because of a lack of confidence in me. I have not felt mistrust at any time.

What is your day-to-day job?

Regarding the functions of Technical Director, basically the role and tasks do not change: Analysis of our team, the current situation, the transfer market, follow-up of players, proposing players. My job is to help our coach in the management of the squad.

Are you planning to look for reinforcements in the winter market?

We are very happy with the squad. We believe that it will get better every day, as we have been showing. We believe that we are good in terms of numbers, that we have good players to call upon from the VCF Academy, but our obligation is to be prepared for unforeseen events that may arise. We are not intending to change much because we value the squad very positively. We are loving how they are representing us.

We have loan signings that are giving results and low-profile players like Cömert who are performing well, then players like Cavani. These are three types of signings. Where are Valencia CF going?

We think there has to be that kind of diversity in the squad. The loan market has allowed us to adjust to Financial Fair Play. We think we have improved the squad. We look for diversity because we have to look for technical, tactical and emotional profiles. Cavani is providing a lot, not only on the pitch, but also in the dressing room, making up for the fact that we are the youngest squad in the league. With Cömert, we understood that he was available at an affordable price and that he was going to perform well. He has been slow to adapt because everything takes time. We look for alternatives because we must be guided by the criteria of Financial Fair Play.

Is this the first time that you have felt this harmony at the Club?

Yes. But not from a personal point of view. We are a group, with the coach, president and majority shareholder. This working group is by far the one in which there is the most harmony.

Are Valencia CF ready to go in for a possible signing of Lino?

Let's see how the season develops and where we are when the transfer market arrives. Atletico Madrid made a big commitment for him. The president was very involved in the operation. We'll see how we do. To talk about Lino today is to venture too far away from matters.

Has the door shut on Bryan Gil, or will you keep trying to sign him?

In football, everything changes from one day to the next. We don’t have the active feeling that we will be going into the market. If Bryan is an option we will see how it goes. Looking at what has happened before, we cannot draw too much from it, because it was in place until 24 hours before the end of the window.

How is the squad being managed for next season with so many players on loan?

The formula of loanees, in our situation, with the urgent need to reduce costs, was a good one. We need quality, performance and talent. We will see our availability for 2023-24 but we must not discard them. It will be determined by Financial Fair Play. We'd like to be able to sign players outright, but we're not ruling out a loan player option if it helps. Despite the five players in on loan, we have 14-15 footballers whose contracts go beyond 2025. We have stability in that sense. They are young players who are going to improve their performance. We will try to do our best.

What is Valencia CF's strategy to grow?

We have had to adapt to reducing costs to meet our Financial Fair Play limits, which were skyrocketing. Making the team competitive again is done through good players, who we have been able to bring in now because of their age but who will give us a collective boost in performance at some point. Also, there are players like Cavani, who don't need time to offer their best performance. Over time, the Club will be where we deserve to be.

The coach talks about getting 40 points, is that the goal for the season?

The coach's statement is very accurate. This is a young group that has to go slowly, evolving in each training session. We are approaching each game without a vision of where we will be in June, but rather looking at developing an identity, and hopefully at the beginning of May we will have the chance to do beautiful things. I do not think that it is essential to identify a final objective.

Is there still a need to sell?

Financial Fair Play is designed for you to sell. You have to always be active in the market. There is no compelling need to sell.

What is your assessment of the departure of Soler? When did you realise that Soler was going to leave Valencia CF?

In negotiations, there are times when you feel closer or farther away from the objective. In the last week is when the events unfolded, despite the efforts of the president. Previously, in January, I thought that it was impossible, then in February I thought that it was. There are so many moments that a relationship goes through that I cannot say a moment in which I felt that he wasn’t going to renew. Valencia CF, through our president, always made the greatest possible effort. I hope it goes well for him because he is an extraordinary person.

What role did you play in the meeting with Lim? 

It was a work meeting in which there were no papers, but rather an analysis of the market, an assessment of how we had started LaLiga, an analysis and assessment of where we wanted the team to go and the planning for 2023-24. In these conversations, each one of us stakes our vision. I felt great. It was great to share those moments and see that harmony existed, with football conversations. I found it amazing in that sense. The majority shareholder has an incredible football memory and we were recalling games and results. The coach has a lot of experience in that sense.

Do you plan to return to Singapore in November?

Yes.

Do you feel like the person most responsible for the Club at a sporting level?

We are in a working group in which I feel very responsible for every word that is given, because it cannot be otherwise in this great Club. I have no problem accepting having made mistakes.

Gattuso has acted as spokesman and has said that he wanted to renew everyone. Did that clash with the position of the Club?

The essence of the message seems correct to me, which is to take things day by day. I think he is a very intelligent man and a phenomenon in how he handles everything related to a football team. There are times when all your desires can be satisfied and other times when they can’t be. Of course, our coach's assessments should influence us.

Where is Cenk in the squad?

We have had two seasons in which we did not have 4 central defenders in the squad. Mosquera has been performing at a high level, but he is still very young. We understood that we should have four centre-backs. It was very hard last season when Gabriel got injured. A circumstance arose, which was that -except for a week of Gabriel's injury- we have not had players out. But we understood that we should give those tools to the coach and he was satisfied.

I have the feeling that the pandemic is always blamed. Do you accept any mistakes have been made?

Lots of them have. I have had to accept many errors. There is evidence that the pandemic has hindered us a lot economically. The pandemic was the same for everyone and it was a reality. I have no problem acknowledging mistakes privately but I'm not going to start recounting them.