Chen Yansheng: "There has been no mistake in the management with De Tomás"

One day after the closing of the most disappointing transfer market in recent times due to the grotesque end of the De Tomás case, the owner and president of Espanyol Chen Yansheng considered himself "satisfied" with the work of the sports management and assured that there had been no errors in the management of the striker's case.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
02 September 2022 Friday 04:34
12 Reads
Chen Yansheng: "There has been no mistake in the management with De Tomás"

One day after the closing of the most disappointing transfer market in recent times due to the grotesque end of the De Tomás case, the owner and president of Espanyol Chen Yansheng considered himself "satisfied" with the work of the sports management and assured that there had been no errors in the management of the striker's case. For Chen, the planning has been correct and the current squad improves the one that existed last year. In addition, he has assured that he maintains his commitment to the entity and that the offers that have come for a possible sale have not been real.

“There was no mistake. The player has shown his intention to leave, but during the market no offer has arrived and on the last day of the market we have not reached an agreement for his transfer”, Chen Yansheng said about the De Tomás case, despite the fact that from the League explained that if the player does not play for Rayo it is because the documents did not arrive in time for his registration.

De Tomás will stay at Espanyol at least until December, something that does not worry Chen. "Raúl is one of the best in the squad and Diego is one of the best in Spain, so that problem doesn't exist or we should solve it," he explained.

Regarding the market that the entity has made, with Domingo Catoira at the head of the sports management, Chen said he was “satisfied”. “The market lasts two months, the last day is part of those 60. I am satisfied with the market that we have done, in every way, because of the coach that we have brought, who is one of the best in Spain. And I think we have a more competitive team and we have made an improvement from the past.” He also said that he made an "assessment of the work of the technical secretariat."

Asked about the absence of reinforcements in positions where Diego Martínez considered that new players should arrive, Chen said that they did not have “a 10, but they were good reinforcements. “We are talking about reinforcing four or five positions. We do not have a 10, but we believe that within the possibilities they are good reinforcements. We haven't made any big sales for three years, we consider that we have renewed the staff without making important sales. If I make a comparison by lines, we believe that we have made a reinforcement in all of them. In the end it is the comparison on the one by one. The ideal is not to do it on the last day. The ideal is to have the players as soon as possible. The planning is for the entire market”, he summed up.

In recent months, speculation has grown a lot about the possible sale of the club, something that Chen has wanted to clarify, practically deny. “There have been constant rumours. Rumors that destabilize the club. The rumor that has bothered me the most is the one from July because right in transfer periods it harms the operational situation of the club ”, he explained. Chen has defended that "during the pandemic and in the second, the commitment to the club has been reinforced with a capital increase, but I could not demonstrate my constant commitment," he settled. He also assured that "during the six years and seven months he has been here I have never put the club up for sale and we have never received a real offer".

Finally, he defended that the club's capacity for growth should not be based on large investments but on "work and effort". “I have full confidence in the future of Espanyol, because it has been based on constant struggle and commitment, which coincide with my values ​​and those of Rastar. Growth must be based on these values ​​[...] All the great challenges such as the Europa League or the Champions League have to come from our work, and not from large investments because that is always temporary, it has to be a success that can stay", concluded.