Real Sociedad midfielder Sergio Canales has confirmed that boss Jagoba Arrasate has told the players he is staying at the club – for now.
Speculation in the Spanish media was that Arrasate had been told he would be leaving Anoeta
Thomas Tuchel, formerly of Mainz, was rumoured to be the Txuri-urdin hierarchy’s preferred choice to replace Arrasate, with former Real Betis and West Bromwich Albion boss Pepe Mel also in the running.
However, Canales told a Press conference that Arrasate is still the man in charge and is set to remain on the bench for this weekend’s home game with Malaga.
“He said to us that he knows we are in a critical situation but is eager to keep fighting and moving things forward.
“He is very focused on the next match and it’s in all our minds because we need to win it. I noticed how focused we all were before Cordoba and we were very down at the end after only drawing.
“We’ve been talking a lot about it among ourselves and what we have been doing is not good enough, so we need to do more to succeed.”
The former Valencia man acknowledged the fixture against Malaga could prove to be a defining moment in the season.
“Right now the only thing we should be thinking about is Saturday and winning. To do that it starts with training during the week.
“We must be strong-minded and not be distracted by anything else,” he maintained.
