Bahia will bring reinforcements occasionally in the next window and have priority over Citigroup athletes in the country | Bahia

Although they have completed the purchase of SAF from Bahia Last Thursday, Citigroup had already dealt with Bahia since the end of last season. In addition to investing heavily in hiring reinforcements, with around R$80 million in player acquisition, the group was responsible for the arrival of coach Renato Paiva and director of football Carlos Santoro.

In an exclusive interview with Globo Esporte Bahia, the CEO takes stock of the work of Renato Paiva and Carlos Santoro and points out occasional reinforcements in the next transfer window. He also confirmed that Tricolor has priority in recruiting players for the City football team in relation to Brazilian clubs. [assista à íntegra no vídeo acima].

Very positive, really very positive. The results were good and some bad. But overall the team is doing well, it’s very competitive. I watched every match. The team won one game and lost two. I could have won or lost all three. I know, because I’ve seen it, that the business behind it is very good. And this work will bear fruit, – explained Soriano.

The group’s CEO said he understands fans’ concern about results in the short term, but ensures that success will only come with hard work.

– I talked about Manchester, but I can also talk about New York, the establishment of the club, which did not exist, had nothing, a shield … Winning the American championship, seven years have passed. We have to work together. And I will ask the fans to follow us and enjoy the ride. On the journey, we will have fun, but we will also lose matches. In defeat, we have to hold our ground. We must be together to work harder. Because I have experience: hard work and the right attitude, the result comes – added Soriano.

– Sometimes we say the head is in the fridge. After the game, there can be a bad 24 hours. You can be sad, anxious. everything is OK. But at 25 o’clock you have to think about the next game. He focused the anxiety in 24 hours and then proceeded to work – he said.

To compete in the season, which also features Brasileirão da Série A, Bahia has already hired 19 reinforcements and spent around R$80 million. The second transfer window will start on July 3 and end on August 2. for that moment, Ferran Soriano has confirmed that Tricolor will only make one-time signings.

– In general, the July-August window is for problem solving only. The action must be done in the previous window. Mission accomplished. Today I asked Santoro, and he said the team was fine. However, from here to July, things can happen. We may have a player with a physical problem, something that needs to be worked out. But it’s just a problem solver. Our goal will be, initially, to do nothing and prepare for the next January window, with a full season already underway and the team already working with the structure.

Another point raised during the exclusive interview was Bahia’s preference for City Group players compared to other Brazilian clubs.

– It is clear that this is not written anywhere, but it is clear that the teams of the group help each other, and that is why we are a group. All teams in the group will be assisted by Bahia, and Bahia will be assisted as well. We already have three players from the group in Bahia, and this is something that will happen naturally – the CEO explained in detail.

Bahia’s potential, where can it reach?
– maybe you can be [muito maior]. You see the club’s potential today. Here we are at this museum, it has so much history, it has an incredible, very large, very believing audience. But, after all, it is a club from Bahia. Fifteen million people in Bahia, many more Bahias around the world. And the club has not yet reached its full potential, also due to all the difficulties, including financial ones. Freed from these financial hardships, with the resources to be creative, to develop more projects, more ideas… the club’s potential is endless.

Bahia’s second investment. Manchester has a champions goal; What is Bahia’s goal?
It is clear that we want Bahia to reach the fullest potential of Brazilian football. But it’s still early. Today is the first day of year zero. We say “year zero”. What happened in Manchester took 13 years, a lot of work, to reach a state where Manchester won, in the last five years of the English Premier League, four. But this did not happen overnight. There was a lot of work. Our goal with Bahia this season is simple: to have a competitive team, and it really is, the team was competitive in the first three matches. [da Série A]. And to maintain our stability in the first division of the Italian first division. After that, we will grow year by year. The limit does not exist, I still do not know. It will depend on our work.

Brazilian football culture with a quick result. How do you deal with pressure?
– She has no knowledge. But it works. We are talking about England, but I am Catalan. I know Barcelona very well, from the same city. We have a Palermo team in the Italian league. In the first half of the league, out of the 20 teams, 10 have fired coaches. This is not a Brazilian thing, but it is global. Over time, we learn that it is impossible to achieve results without stability. Stability comes with patience, suffering and trust. After the passage of time, in the case of Manchester, the fans understood: with patience, the score arrived. Let’s follow, let’s be together. Many in Brazil say “tamujunto”. But sometimes people are only together in triumph; In defeat, no. In defeat, where they have value is sticking together and working harder.

Talents from Bahia in Bahia
– This is a big challenge, but an essential one. This cannot happen. Our goal is for every talented player from Bahia to play for the Bahia team. It is clear that he will not be able to be all, but the overwhelming majority. There is no reason why a talented Bahian from Bahia should play for another club. But we have to work, we have to give these talented players a career, a path, a facility, a place to introduce the methodology, and we will give all of that. We will introduce the best methodology and the best technology in the world and we will convince young players from Bahia to play for Bahia. Of course, in the end many of them will, if they have the talent, want to play in Europe, and elsewhere, in the United States, and in those cases the group will have a chance for them. I spoke to them yesterday, I said: ‘Difference between you and other players, other Brazilian clubs, you are sure that all the scouts, all the football directors, all the group coaches, including Pep Guardiola, will be watching you, if you don’t arrive, it won’t be because you don’t Seeing one of your talent, showing your talent, we have platforms and clubs to give opportunities to talented players, but without forgetting that Bahia’s main goal is to grow as a club and win, players have to spend some time here.

Visit the Ark of the Covenant Project
– Something quite sharp. In Europe they say that in Brazil children play in the streets, and what I saw yesterday [quarta-feira] It was impressive, the terrain wasn’t very good, you couldn’t play well, it rained, and it was even worse. And there were kids with talent and intensity in the game, and you could really see they wanted a chance. And domains like this, I think there are 700 in Salvador. Our job will be to help these coaches develop these talents.

A tortuous relationship with Fonte Nova
– It passes because everything passes, we just come up and analyze everything, but we don’t have an answer for that. The stadium is very good, but it can clearly be improved. So, we have to find a way to make it happen, but I don’t know what way it is, I haven’t met the selling agent yet, but we will find the right way.

message to the fan
– I would like to say first that I already understand what the club is for Bahia, for the Bahia fans, and I understand that our role is to help them. The club is not ours, it belongs to the fans. Our role is to run the club for years to come and help the club reach its maximum potential. So, we need the crowd, it’s impossible to do it alone, I’ve seen it many times. We have to be together in difficult times. Victory is easy, in defeat we must be together. This is a journey, what I ask is that they accompany us. For better or for worse, too. Yesterday I spoke to the staff, the players and the players to stick together for the trip. The journey will come to a very good end point, but the path will be difficult. Let us enjoy the difficulties together, help each other, and stay together.