"The goal is to repeat Europe"

After such a huge investment, do you think Real have a better team?

You will never know. The team is just as competitive as last year. A huge investment in signing three very good players. They are very young, but already have experience and I see a bright future for them. They are good people, kind, hardworking people who are very well put together. And the players always win.

These three years have been great, but can you go one step further?

The last three seasons were milk, entering the Europa League. People are getting used to it, but it’s not easy to spend multiple seasons in a row playing in three competitions and be at the top of the league with so many competitive teams. We hope to be at the top, but it is difficult to take another step. There are many teams. The goal is to repeat Europe.

What would you like to see happen this year compared to previous years?

Take another step to the Europa League. In the League we are always good, but in Europe it is more difficult for us. I hope this year will be charm and we will be more.

They said, Imanol is more excited than before about the squad that has…

I see him as always. He’s always on top of you, squeezing you to get you. He knows that if we are good physically, we are good technically. What he’s looking for, we’re up there. He knows that then, we are on top. The body is becoming more and more important in football.

How do you see Momo Cho?

He is a good boy. He doesn’t speak much Spanish, but he’s learning and trying to speak. And in sports, he works well on a daily basis. It is very strong and has a lot of power. In one on one he is very good. He is still very young, but he has a present and a bright future. He is hardworking and wants to improve. It will give us a lot and from this year.

And Brais?

Technically, it’s obviously very good, but now the sports management also pays attention to the work they do and is here for that, so it has improved in that aspect in recent years. This will be an important player at Real

And Kubo?

It has a lot of potential. These people have already seen what it can contribute. The whole team will support him here, he needs to strengthen everyone and Real is the perfect place for him to grow as a player. He has been playing in the First Division for a long time, but he is still young. This is where he will step up and help us get to the top.

La Real renewed Le Normand, who forgot about Iñigo, how would you evaluate his evolution?

Everything that happened to him was deserved. It has improved a lot since it went up. I remember when he came up, he was good at fighting, but the one who improved technically was brutal. Seeing that on a daily basis, he is confident. It gives us a lot back there. He won more than 85% of the duels and that was very important inside the area, where the matches were decided.

How do you see Mikel Oyarzabal?

Animated. You meet deadlines. On a day-to-day basis, he does what he’s told and it’s a matter of patience. You don’t have to go crazy. It must be taking sensations. Recovery from these injuries is not usually shortened: you may meet the deadlines or they may take longer. Best to hurry and be patient. I could see him talking to everyone in the physio room.

Can it be the same again?

Yes, he is still young. It is not easy to be away for a long time, but he also has a lot of fatigue and a lot of games. Mikel is smart and strong and he will recover.

Do you think there could be a risk of Isak or Merino being dropped at the last minute?

I saw them focus. The players are very important, who have had great seasons at Real and made others better. Big teams notice them, that’s normal. It could always happen that a big man comes along and pays the clause, but I can see them being happy with it and the sports management is also working. You can never predict what might happen.