MADRID, 28 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The coach of Valencia, Gennaro Gattuso, addressed this Sunday the possible arrival of the Uruguayan striker Edinson Cavani, an operation that “excites” the fans and the coach, and that he hopes will end “in a positive way” for the ‘che’ club, by At the same time, he praised the “quality and mentality” of Atlético de Madrid, his next rival in the league.
“I know that people are excited about Cavani, he is a champion, he has played at the highest level. I am also excited,” said the Italian at a press conference.
The Italian confessed that they have been “2-3 weeks” working on this operation, with which he is “optimistic.” “We are working and talking, we have possibilities, I have to thank the president because we have a possibility and he is working a lot. I think that if we signed Cavani it is because Peter Lim believes a lot in this possibility”, he related.
“We don’t have a plan B, we have two-three strikers in the team. Cavani is not a normal player, he has scored many goals, he has played in great teams, with an incredible mentality. I cannot talk to him about money… I speak of the technical part, the economic problem is not my problem. Sometimes it is not easy to close an operation in two minutes, I believe that it will be closed in a positive way”, he added about the striker.
However, and given the opportunity to sign the 35-year-old player, formerly of United or PSG, among others, Gattuso showed “a lot of respect” for his players, but recalled that “there are four market days left and anything can happen.” I have never told Maxi (Gómez) and Marcos (André) that they have to leave, “he revealed, before reflecting on the market. “Why should you play with the open market, this is not correct. The market should be closed when the League starts, for the little ones it is not correct, “he criticized.
On the other hand, for this Monday’s match (10 pm) against Atlético de Madrid, Gattuso confirmed that Jesús Vázquez will not be available due to injury, while Gabriel Paulista “has discomfort”. “We’ll see if he can play,” he reported.
“We cannot play against Atlético thinking only that Atlético will not score a goal. It is a difficult game, against a quality team and with an incredible mentality. We must go without fear and with courage. The players know that they are 7-8 years old without beating Atleti. I would like us to do what Simeone has done at Atlético”, he analyzed his rival in the run-up to the duel.
Finally, he confessed what is the most important thing for him in a player. “For me the age of the player is not important, it is important that he is not afraid and knows how to play football well. The mentality can be changed, but you have to work hard”, he concluded.