Marcelino: Champions League a must

Valencia boss Marcelino insists that his team needs to be in the Champions League every year and must do so again after next season.

The 52-year-old, who achieved two top-six finishes in his time at Villarreal, returned Los Che to European football’s premier competition for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign last weekend, and believes it is long overdue.

“We have to plan on being in the Champions League at the end of next season because Valencia is a club that needs to be near the top of the table, although the first three positions appear unattainable,” explained Marcelino to El Larguero.

 “The team that finishes fourth is the one that wins the league containing all the rest. However, the goal we set last summer was to get into the Europe League, as that was the closest thing for a team that had finished 12th in the last two seasons,” he admitted, before speaking about the possibility of arrivals and departures to his squad over the coming months.

“Valencia are going to sign Geoffrey Kondogbia, while Rodrigo has a contract with the club and is a very important player, but the market will dictate what is going to happen with him. If anyone comes in and it satisfies the interests of both the player and the club, then we’ll consider what is economically viable and if he needs to go.

“With respect to Goncalo Guedes, who is on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, it depends on his club. They hold his playing rights and will have to evaluate what they are going to do with the player. We will then see if Valencia can have him next season.”

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