“Call me in a while, I’m busy.” The WhatsApp of Txema Indiassports director of Leganes, repeat the message several times. His response postpones the phone interview a couple of times before excusing himself for the delay. It’s been almost a month since the winter market closed and your mobile is fuming. “Now is the time to take positions. This work is a constant. You never stop”he argues before launching into an answer.
In his story, the description of a complex winter market, as well as the situation of a Leganés that, because it is too magnetized to the lower zone, has not had as easy to make signings as on other occasions. “The players choose the projects in the upper zone before and that’s how it’s complicated”, Add. And despite everything, Indias is satisfied with some reinforcements that “are already adding up.”
It also helps the work of a Mehdi Nafti that has relaunched the pepineros. India admits to being happy with the job, but he is also cautious to the extreme with a sporting situation that, despite the fact that it has allowed the team to catch some air in recent days, is still looking more at the well than at the playoff. That “realism” stops all operations for now. It will be salvation that reactivates them, including the renewal of the coach, something that not only depends on the club, but also on Nafti himself. “You have to try to keep him happy. As much as there are clauses by objectives, If you don’t make him happy, what’s the point?
He will already be involved in the next transfer market.
It is so. The winter market is already distant history. We are already thinking about the future. Thinking about market situations. Those who may be, those on loan if they go out on loan again or if they stay at their clubs… Now we make a lot of calls to get information. It is a way of taking positions.
Will there be a revolution next season after a course as irregular as this one?
It is too early. Right now we are only aware of the players with a contract. And not even that guarantees you anything, because we have already experienced how there can be shocks. It’s still too early to think about summer.
Although it is far away, how was the winter market?
It’s hard. It depends on the scenario. Last year there was a beautiful scenario. We were up. Many people wanted to come to Leganés. This year is different. We are in the middle-low part of the table. And we are no longer so attractive neither for players, nor for the clubs that can give you or sell those players.
Can an increase in investment change that? Offer more money to players?
Even if you have money, being down, players tend to prefer teams that are higher up. And that is not equated with money. It is normal because if the players sign for teams in the upper zone, their time in the Second Division may even be short-lived and they end up in the First Division with stable contracts. Oddly enough, money doesn’t do everything when you’re down.
Well, many believe that it is not so…
Of course, in football, the more you have to invest, the better… but these investments are not that simple. Especially if you want players owned. Being downstairs no one signs you property.
And that doesn’t guarantee anything…
That’s it. Look, the year that we owned the most players, which was in the First Division, was the year we went down. That didn’t do us much good either. Yeah… there were things along the way that didn’t help… but a good investment was made in Braithwaite, Omeruo… and in the end it didn’t help us.
The fact that FIFA wants to veto the number of loaned by teams, to Leganés, is it good or bad?
In that case I think we would even be among the least affected. In fact, I would tell you that for low-medium profile teams it can help them, because that way you can force more signings on property… The big ones are the ones who can lose, who have the habit of signing and giving up to see how they perform in other teams .
Nafti says that the signings that have arrived sign with a lot of hunger.
I agree. They are players who come to add. They are already helping us, in fact.
Dani Jiménez’s surprised. He wasn’t on the radar and also the club, in his case, did pay Alcorcón for him…
Yes, but we are not going to make public how much it was. Out of respect, first for Alcorcón, who did not make it public. What I do believe is that it was a good operation for both parties.
Is Nafti going to continue next season?
Let’s finish this first…
How pessimistic…
Rather realistic. It is true. We are taking air, but we must not be overconfident. We’ve improved, but you can’t throw bells on the fly. If we finish the season well, it will be a matter of sitting down and talking. And here not only decides the club. We also have to see if he wants to continue…
Why do you say that?
Because it is important to keep the other party happy. I say again that, sometimes, it is thought that everything is decided by a club, and here it is also very important what the other party thinks.
But Nafti has signed automatic renewal for objectives.
Yes, but if the other party is not happy, what use is the clause to you? The human and professional treatment is key.
Are you already dealing with player renewals?
It’s true that there are several players who are out of contract and we don’t want to get lost with them, but neither with the season. Now it is important to be focused on what we have to do, because if we get confused, we can pay dearly…
Well, but there are players with whom there is some contact. For example, I ask him about Sergio…
He is a player to admire, who is always prepared and, when the coach needs him, he gives everything to perform. But as I was saying with your question about Nafti, it is always important that the other party is happy. Even so, forgive me for being repetitive, but we want to focus on sports so as not to fall, again, into an agonizing situation.
Allow me just one of renewals. With Cissé, are you working to shield his contract?
Cissé is a boy who has come out of the subsidiary. He is stepping forward and helping us. I said it recently. We wanted a central midfielder in the winter market, but I said that we had to be attentive to a boy like Cissé. Now, days later, Cissé looks like another player. You work on him, you trust him and he is giving performance. It is a case in which you have to try to make all parties happy. May Cissé be happy and continue working to be a better footballer…
Come on, do something similar to Avilés and Naim…
Yes, we will sit down and try to make him happy… that he is focused on just playing football.
About Avilés, it’s a pity that it hasn’t finished exploding.
He has had bad luck. He has not had continuity and has had bad luck with injuries. Sometimes, it’s still good to get out of your environment a little to take a leap. A Primera de Portugal like Tondela has appeared to him. Hopefully his performance is good and he can come back stronger.
Did many teams call asking for Borja Garcés?
Well look, with Borja Garcés I don’t know why it was published that he was going to come out. Borja is on loan from Atlético and the coach is counting on him. He believes that he can take advantage of it. That option was not considered.
With Sabin Merino it was different, right?
It is true that Sabin did not have a leading role. He believed that he would not change his role. He wanted to get out and for all of us to be benefited. But it wasn’t as clear as you said… you saw that he came out in the final stretch…
In Zaragoza it felt bad that there was a fear clause…
I get it and I don’t get it. When you do them you don’t understand them, but when you do them, you do understand them. It’s soccer stuff. We reached an agreement and that is what happened. It is normal that they would like to have it available for all games.
The one that was striking was the departure of Tarín, who a week before had played against Burgos and was captain… Did he ask for it?
It’s kind of like Sabin. He was one of the captains, but he was not playing a leading role in sports. He came up with a good situation. And we also believed that it was good for us.
With Nyom, did they consider not signing him for the club’s releases?
No… we work at a sports level. We owe it to our fans, to whom we always appreciate their support. In this complicated moment they are giving us a lot of encouragement despite the fact that we give them little back. But beyond that, we were aware of the market that it was. We were 100% convinced that it would help us. And so we act.
The player showed his face from minute 1 with that video…
We all have a fan inside. Those of Leganés felt hurt by their celebration with Getafe. But Allan explained it. I understand that people may be hurt, but we know that Allan defends the shield of each team with great professionalism. We are already seeing it.
Will the position in which Leganés finishes this season condition the market for the next one?
Look, just as I told you that in the winter market it does help or not… Now I don’t think that for next year it will have so much influence. Yes, the higher you are the better… But I don’t think it will be as relevant for next year. We will all start from scratch.