MADRID, 22 Ago. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Spanish striker Luis Rioja expressed his satisfaction at his signing for Valencia CF on Thursday, a club he had wanted to join since they showed him their “interest” and where he arrives “with a good attitude” and without leaving “even the slightest doubt as to his effort.”
“I’m very happy. I was looking forward to being here, to wearing this shirt and the truth is that it’s an honour for me to defend this badge. Since they showed me their interest, I knew I wanted to come here, it’s a very big club in LaLiga EA Sports, I really wanted to come to a club with a great fan base. I’m here and I’m going to give everything for this shirt,” said Rioja in statements provided by the club.
The former Deportivo Alavés player made it clear that “at all times the club and the coaching staff” have made it “known” to him that they wanted him to come to Valencia. “And that is an added value when making a decision,” stressed the Andalusian, who can contribute “in addition to experience, given that it is a young team, desire, energy, balance and above all attitude.” “The most important thing is to come with a good attitude and show it on a daily basis,” he warned.
“Everyone tells me that it’s a very good, healthy dressing room, that there’s a lot of harmony and I’m here to try to add points. I’m going to give everything for this shirt, as far as effort goes there won’t be the slightest bit of doubt about me. I want to find a full stadium and add points three by three,” said Rioja.
For his part, Valencia’s sporting director, Miguel Ángel Corona, said they were “very happy” to have secured a signing with which they continue “in that line, clearly looking for a very, very detailed profile” and “in line” with what coach Rubén Baraja is asking for.
“He is a boy who has given an extraordinary performance in recent seasons with Deportivo Alavés and he comes to reinforce a specific position in which we were looking for that player with a natural, left-footed foot,” added the director.
He believes that Rioja “meets all the requirements” that they look for when making a signing like this. “He is fit, he has completed the entire pre-season, he knows the championship, the team, the stadiums and the rivals perfectly. He has also been playing for many seasons in a system very similar to ours and we will quickly have him at the disposal of our coach. That is always good, it is what the coaches ask of us,” he explained.
“It’s incredible how strong our club is. The excitement that Luis has conveyed to me in every call we had, it makes your hair stand on end, he was eager to join us with tremendous excitement. That excitement, as our coach has expressed many times, is sometimes more important than many other qualities,” Corona concluded.