MADRID, 17 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Villarreal’s coach, Unai Emery, has assured that his players are “excited” to play in the group stage of the Conference League, for which they will have to overcome the tie against Croatian Hajduk Split that begins this Thursday at the Ciutat de València ( 8:45 p.m.), in addition to acknowledging that defender Juan Foyth transmits “tranquility” to him in the face of rumors about his departure.
“Europe excites us, calls us, gives us recognition. The ‘Champions’ is the most beautiful thing, the Europa League is precious and the Conference is a competition that is born well. The Conference is Europe and we at Villarreal are very excited. Europe gives us a place,” he declared at a press conference.
In addition, he recalled that the team from Castellón arrives “in a good moment of form” after beating Real Valladolid in their debut in LaLiga Santander (0-3). “We have the objective of giving continuity and following the line of what was seen during the preseason”, he indicated.
About the rival, the Basque coach stated that “he has a name, he has a history and he has a present”. “For them, qualifying is possibly very important. From the respect, it is a tie that we prepare to continue being in this competition. We have prepared it conscientiously and with great respect and trying to find our best version”, he stressed.
In another vein, he insisted on the importance of the Castellón fans supporting the team at the Ciutat de València. “We want to share the paths with them and not just the finals. Tomorrow we start our journey in the Conference League and we need them, we hope they are with us. Then, we have the responsibility to win and give the best version for them”, he explained.
On the other hand, Emery assured that “no” is “affecting” the situation of Argentine defender Juan Foyth and the alleged interest in him from FC Barcelona. “That the market closes on August 31 doesn’t make much sense, I don’t understand why people are gambling and the market doesn’t close,” he said. “It would affect us if an unexpected clause payment is executed or if the player thinks that he can leave for an offer that interests him. Juan Foyth is very happy here, he is grateful and it gives me peace of mind,” he added.
Finally, he also spoke about the possible departures of Paco Alcácer and Boulaye Dia. “Both Paco and Dia knew, for a long time, the idea of ??the club. They have been training with the group more or less; Paco started a little later because we gave him more vacations so that he could consider a little how he wanted to find his way out. No I know if they are close to leaving or not, but they have had movements,” he concluded.
