Sevilla manager Jose Luis Mendilibar has publicly demanded that Sporting Director Victor Orta oversees an exodus from the club this summer. Before even taking into account new signings, he wants at least 10 players to leave the club.
In total, 13 players have arrived back in Seville taking into account new signings and returning loan players this summer, while just 3 have left, leaving Los Nervionenses with a dramatically bloated squad. Mendilibar told Diario AS that he was happy with the quality, but not the quantity.
“Yeah, I still think it’s a great squad. But also that you have to fix the number of players. We are training with 29 guys and eight are still missing who are still dancing around. At least 10 have to leave, even more if we want to bring signings. But I am happy with the quality we have.”
Mendilibar was little fazed by their burgeoning issues though, stating that it is merely part and parcel of the short-term approach in football these days.
“But this is something that happens in all teams. There is barely a penny anywhere, they are all overwhelmed. Do you know why that is? Nowadays they don’t sign for two years if it costs you €10m, because then the amortisation would be five per year. They sign him for five years and it’s €2m a year. But we don’t realise that if we don’t need that player in the third season, we eat that cost. In football, no matter how much money there is, it is never enough, more is always needed. It is a destructive dynamic.”
The Basque coach is notorious for speaking his mind on almost any topic put to him, and without mincing his words.
While it is not news that football is prey to short-term thinking, Mendilibar’s opinion on contracts certainly raises questions on the wisdom of the accounting trick that is so regularly employed by football teams. Certainly Sevilla have fallen victim to it.
