SD Eibar reach agreement in principle on Enrich contract extension
During the course of the press conference, Garagarza revealed that he is currently in negotiations with Valencia over the signing of Yoel
SD Eibar's director of football, Fran Garagarza, today spoke to the media at a press conference in which he reflected on the January transfer window. During his address, Garagarza revealed that the club and Sergi Enrich have established an agreement in principle for an extension and improvement to the player's contract, whilst he also shared that he's currently in negotiations with Valencia CF over the transfer of Yoel Rodríguez, who is on loan at Ipurua.
Garagarza also spoke about the situation regarding the Armeros' captain, Dani García - who is contracted to the club until June 2018 -, revealing that the player has been offered a contract extension, which he turned down, and that García is yet to put a counter offer forward. "He's our captain, he's a club man and he's one that has been with us from the start and as such, he deserves our utmost respect. There shouldn't be any alarm, he's under contract until 2018, but it's important we get his contract renewed and I respect that things are currently at a standstill on his side. Time will tell whether we start to take any steps or not".
In terms of the interest received from English Championship outfit Fulham in securing Enrich's signature, Eibar's director of football stated that he had received an email on Sunday to enquire as to whether the club would be willing to negotiate the player's sale for a fee below the release clause, an enquiry which was declined. The following day, Fulham offered to pay the release clause in full in a series of instalments, and following a conversation with the player and discussion with the board's Football Committee, this option was also declined.
"We took the opportunity to work on extending his contract and last night we reached an agreement in principle to extend it for a further season (until 2019)", with this deal involving an improved salary and an increase in Enrich's release clause.
In Garagarza's eyes, Enrich is a player that offers the team good performance levels and reliability on account of an absence of injuries, commitment to the dressing room with an attitude that sees him put the collective good over individual interests, whilst he also has the backing of the coach and fans alike.
In reference to Yoel, Garagarza revealed that Eibar have first refusal on buying the custodian and that negotiations are underway with Valencia to sign the shotstopper on a permanent two-year deal.
Speaking about Adrián González, the club's director of football insisted that the decision as to whether he remains at the club next term is down to the player. Adrián has a clause in his contract which means that an automatic contract renewal until 2018 is triggered if he makes a given number of appearances. Eqaully, he can also decide to leave the club even if he does reach this figure. For the time being, the salary associated to his current contract has been increased.
Meanwhile, Antonio Luna, whose contract comes to an end in June 2017, has a two-year deal on the table "and his counter offer is a really big one". "Right now there's a big difference in the way we see things and we're working to try to take steps in the right direction. He's a really highly valued player, is at a good age, his performance levels are very strong and he's managing to avoid injuries. There's interest in him from elsewhere and securing his renewal presents us with a challenge. We won't be going overboard financially and we'll have to consider things very carefully".
When quizzed about the future of José Luis Mendilibar, whose contract is up in June, Garagarza commented that, "we haven't spoken about it". "We're focused on continuing with our work. We've got a decent points cushion at the bottom and we're close to achieving our aim of staying up, but we must keep going. The team is solid and well balanced. Our focus on a daily basis has to be on the team".
Garagarza also preferred to deflect attention away from his own contract, which runs out in June. "The least I'm spoken about, the better it is for everyone. I'm really happy and I enjoy each and every day of my work. I'm just focusing on doing a good job".
With regards to the players currently out on loan, he noted that Jordi Calavera is performing "exceptionally well" at Lugo. "They're delighted with him and we consider that he's very close to being able to play for us".
Unai Elgezabal, who is out on loan at Alcorcón, has played 1,323 minutes for the Madrid-based outfit "and he's making fine progress". Finally, Pere Milla was reluctant to leave UCAM Murcia despite his opportunities being limited. "He's happy and believes that he'll get the chance to play. We've respected his position and he stays put".
When asked about the season that the club's feeder team, CD Vitoria, are enjoying in the Tercera División Group IV, where they currently lie joint-top, Garagarza stated that "we're satisfied". "The aim is to secure promotion, we want to get promoted and we've gone all out to ensure we achieve that. We've got to put our all into it and this has been reflected in our activity during the January transfer window", which has seen striker Óscar Conde join from Gimnástica de Torrelavega and Jorge Lope drafted in as the third-choice goalkeeper.