Valencia will have a new 'matador'. The first was Argentine, his name was Mario Alberto Kempes and he left the club in 1984 as one of the best footballers in its history. 38 years later, the second is about to arrive, this time a Uruguayan: Edinson Cavani. In the absence of official confirmation, the charrúa will go free to the team to contribute the goals that nobody is being able to score. Without Gonçalo Guedes, the team's top scorer last season, now at Wolverhampton, he lacks bite at the top. The figures for the first two La Liga games prove it. Gennaro Gattuso's men narrowly defeated Girona on the opening day with a penalty from Carlos Soler and lost by the same result against Athletic Club de Bilbao. Hugo Duro does not finish starting, Maxi Gómez is on the starting ramp and Marcos André, the other alternative in the lead, is not counting on the confidence of the Italian coach. Cavani was the desired one and Valencia ended up convincing him.
“Valencia has given me a lot of confidence and I will try to give everything on my part to leave a good image”, said the 35-year-old veteran striker, upon his arrival yesterday at the Valencian airport in Manises, where a large group of Valencia fans. "You have to go where they love you, where they show you love because in reality you live from that, from the strength of the people, from the affection of the club", added a Cavani "with great desire and enthusiasm".
The Uruguayan striker arrives for free, two months after ending his contract with Manchester United. The agreement between the footballer and the club was closed on Monday morning. He signs for two seasons, at a rate of more than two million euros net per year, which could approach three million with bonuses and variables. It is a move carefully managed by Valencia, in which Gattuso played a central role in convincing the former Palermo, Napoli and Paris Saint-Germain player. There was no shortage of candidates to take over Cavani's services, some even above the Valencian team on the player's list of preferences, so Peter Lim and the coach had to move quickly to take him away.
Villarreal was one of the destinations that sounded the loudest, as well as one of the favorites for the protagonist. Also Nice or Real Sociedad, whose striker has been orphaned after the departure for a record amount of Alexander Isak to Newcastle United, were in the bid. Finally, it has been Valencia that has taken the cat to the water. As reported by As, Gattuso himself personally contacted Cavani three weeks ago, to make it clear that he would be a fundamental piece and to express his ideas and plans.
The only obstacle thereafter was the type of contract. The club offered him a year with a non-guaranteed option for a second and he wanted the two years guaranteed. 'El matador' had everything to win, since Valencia is beset by the urgent need for a scorer, and he got away with it. On the other hand, Cavani did not want to harm his compatriot Maxi Gómez with his arrival, with the World Cup on the horizon. Now that Gómez's departure to Fenerbahçe is practically closed, for an amount close to six million euros, the second highest scorer in the history of Uruguay has a clear path to join.
At 35 years old, his professionalism is unquestionable and only his physical capacity fuels doubts. In his last year at United he was hardly able to participate, as he suffered several muscular problems that kept him away from the pitch for months. If the injuries respect him, he will be able to contribute a lot to Valencia's attack. If Cavani is good at anything, it is scoring goals: 200 in 301 games for PSG, 104 in 138 games for Napoli, 37 in 117 for Palermo and 19 in 59 games for the Red Devils. With the national team he accumulates 58 goals in 133 games, only behind Luis Suárez.
