Rayo Vallecano manager Andoni Iraola is one of the brightest in the Spanish game, and has taken Los Franjirrojos from strength to strength since arriving in Vallecas. Sporting Director David Cobeno has highlighted just how easy he is to work with too.
Cobeno appointed Iraola to his role, and despite an initial struggle, Rayo were promoted via the playoffs, and have since been in and around midtable in La Liga – well above expectations.
Speaking to Sport ahead of their tie with Barcelona, Cobeno revealed his favourite aspect of the Basque coach.
“He is a coach with whom you can talk and agree on decisions. He is not strict in his ideas and it is easy to work with him on a day-to-day basis.”
“When there is harmony between the coaching staff, sports management, presidency and team, everything is much easier. This is a value that we take into account. On a sporting level, he adapts very well to modern football, touch football, with a lot of intensity and fast transitions. With our small field and the fans so passionate and close, this type of game suits us very well.”
It is no surprise Iraola has caught the eye of a number of clubs lately, with West Ham, Villarreal and Athletic Club all being linked to the former right-back during the season. Cobeno said he was optimistic about retaining Iraola though, who is out of contract at the end of the campaign.
“The truth is that I am always optimistic. In difficult times, too. Now he is doing very well and some teams with bigger names than ours are looking at him, but he is comfortable here. The comfort of working here is very important to him, hopefully we can continue another year with him and his coaching staff.”
Cobeno went on to declare that Rayo’s short to medium-term goal is to consolidate themselves in the midtable of La Liga, akin to what Osasuna have achieved.
