Baraja will be the coach of Valencia for the next two seasons
Rubén Baraja has directed his renewal as Valencia coach for the next two seasons. He will be in charge of carrying out the “reset” and the reconstruction that the club promised its fans after an agonizing season. Basting together the agreement was the priority that both the former player and the entity had set for themselves and, after two weeks in which There have been several conversations, both parties have defined what their relationship will be like in the absence of a signature and that certain conditions are reflected in writing. Who will not be part of it is Carlos Marchena, who after having contributed to the salvation of the team has decided to return to Seville.
It was at the meeting last week when Baraja drew before the football director, Miguel Ángel Corona, and the corporate, Javier Solís, his red lines. President LayHoon Chan, who traveled to Singapore, was not there. The man from Valladolid has always been predisposed to prolong his time on the bench at Mestalla and in the First Division, but he needed to convey to the club ideas that he considers basic so as not to repeat the agony of last season.
The former midfielder wants to be able to comment on the design of the squad. It is clear to him which players should go out -those he has had the least in recent games-, which ones would be expendable to execute the cuts in the salary mass that the club must face, and which profiles he believes are necessary. Players like Cömert, Marcos André, Castillejo, Hugo Duro and, to a lesser extent, Yunus or Paulista would have the doors open. Also Cavani. The sale of other important ones, such as Mamardasvili, worries him. The possibility of staying with a player like Kluivert suits him. The club has recognized that he will have a willingness to listen, but the decisions will be made at the top. As has happened with the purchase of Cenk for five million euros.
There are no changes in this sense with what has happened in recent seasons, which is why Baraja's agent has not only negotiated a contract similar in duration to that of the last coaches, but also intends to include an exit clause. In this way, the man from Valladolid will not leave the possibility of leaving to the will of the club if the plans drawn up are not fulfilled.
The coach's interest also goes through not being the spokesman for Valencia. He wants the management to be the one who publicly sets the team's objectives for the next season, based on the investment and the squad that is made. And after that objective, he feels capable of working without the pressure of having to justify it.
Baraja, with the signature pending, has started to form its coaching staff. He arrived with Marchena, who is now returning to Seville, and must look for a second and review who he has for a project that is still in its infancy.