Girona Sporting Director Quique Carcel has told the press that he would have tried to sign Oriol Romeu back from Barcelona during the January transfer window, but La Liga rules prevented them from doing so. With the Blaugrana looking for a new manager, he also expressed confidence that Michel Sanchez would not make the same move as Romeu.
The 32-year-old midfielder has been used sparingly by Xavi Hernandez since September, sparking rumours that he could return to Girona in the January market.
“From minute one I have always said that Oriol is an important player, but he is at Barca. If we could, we would have worked for his return, although the regulations made it impossible,” Carcel told MD.
However La Liga rules prevent players from being registered with the same team twice, ruling out a return for Romeu until this summer. Girona were also linked with the likes of Carles Alena and Nico Gonzalez.
“Our idea was to bring a pivot but we did not reach an agreement with the two or three profiles that we knew could help us. We have also opted for local players, like with Antal, who has replaced Bernardo’s departure and, with the appearance of Arnau as a center back, it also gave us the signal not to go overboard with the idea we had.”
He also said he was looking for another full-back to cover the likes of Miguel Gutierrez or Yan Couto, but that the cost was very high, and there was a chance they might not play much. Meanwhile Carcel was pleased to report that in contrast to previous years, plenty of players were keen to join them, rather than having to sell their project.
“I've little concern about the coach because he's the most committed to the project. Michel is even clearer than me because he's calm and only thinks about fulfilling his deal."
"He wants to take another step with Girona and is 100% focused."#GironaFC SD Quique Carcel (MD) pic.twitter.com/GjiDe2v9kW
— Football España (@footballespana_) February 2, 2024
Manager Michel Sanchez distanced himself from the Barcelona job last weekend, saying that ‘nobody knows Barcelona better than Xavi’. Carcel was confident of holding onto Michel though, and of many of his players for next season.
“If we enter Europe or the Champions League that will be a big incentive to stay. There will be deals we cannot do anything about, but we’re working hard on a lot of things so we can keep the same squad for next season.”
