VALENCIA
Lay Hoon: “I’m disappointed about Alcácer but not angry”
Valencia’s president spoke candidly about Paco Alcácer’s decision to join Barcelona just days before the transfer deadline closed.
Valencia president Lay Hoon Chan said she felt let down when Paco Alcácer called her just days before the transfer deadline closed to tell that that he wanted to quit the club and join Barcelona. “I was very, very disappointed with what I heard during that conversation, although I tried to understand how difficult it must be to reject Barcelona”, the president said during today’s unveiling of Ezequiel Garay and Eliaquim Mangala.
Back on 13 August, Lay Hoon Chan had made it clear that the striker was not for sale. “It was always the club’s intention to make sure Alcácer stayed with us. If we had wanted to sell him, we would have done so three weeks earlier and we would not have come out to state that we didn’t want to sell him. In the conversation with Paco I asked him if he was completely sure about leaving, because for us, he was an iconic player. He told me that it was a personal decision and asked the club to consider Barcelona’s offer.
"I consulted Peter Lim and told Paco that the club would only consider Barcelona’s offer on the condition that the Technical Department and coaching staff were able to find a suitable replacement; otherwise, he would remain at Valencia”, the Valencia president added. “He was an icon for our youth academy and an icon for our club, so I am very disappointed with this episode but I am not angry because you can never get angry with someone who you feel is like a son”.
