Carlos Tevez spoke about Independiente’s present: the frustrated preseason, the transfer market and the objectives of the year

Carlos Tevez, coach of Independiente, gave an interview with TyC Sports in which he touched on several topics such as the failed preseason in Miami, the transfer market and the objectives that the squad will have for next season. What happened was serious. It’s as if we had been given six pineapples or that without getting out of the way we already lost the game. There is talk of a scam on the part of the organizing company and it is important to note that it is not just anyone, but a well-known one. The people who work there also work for the Super League. We see them every Sunday,” Tevez said of the company that was in charge of organising the pre-season in the United States.Regarding the transfer market, the coach said: “The management moved quickly and was able to bring me what I had asked for. I am very happy. We’re missing a centre-back and a full-back, so we’re looking for those two options. On the possible return of Alan Franco, he clarified: “He is waiting for São Paulo to choose a new coach and he will make a decision. We’re going to wait until the last minute. Independiente wants to make the effort to bring him in. If the new coach doesn’t want him, we’re there for him to come.” Leonardo Morales is an experienced player in Argentine football, he can give us a lot. It’s the second option we’re considering,” said the Apache.The coach also acknowledged having asked for Uruguayan defender Guillermo Varela, currently at Flamengo, and Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Neves, from São Paulo, although he maintained that “negotiations with Brazilian clubs are very difficult because of the high contracts they pay.” Regarding the situation of young striker Santiago Lopez, the coach said he had spoken with the player. “I told him he had to take responsibility for what he wanted. He asked me for advice and I told him that I couldn’t advise him as Independiente’s coach. ‘If I’m selfish, I’d tell you to stay and we’re going to try to get you to play.’ First and foremost, it was the first preseason. I hadn’t seen him training because he was in the national team and I told him that he had to prove to me that I could play in the Primera de Independiente. I also told him that he had to lay his eggs to make a decision, that no one should manage his future, neither his parents, Independiente, his manager or me. Don’t let anyone advise you because it’s your future. He went and the next day said he wanted to stay.” Finally, Tevez focused on the team’s objectives for this season: “We can fight for the championship against River and Boca because I see an internal competition that there was not before. Everyone is fighting for a place, the reinforcements as well and an internal fight was set up that every coach wants to have. That’s where a good team starts to come together, that’s fundamental. We don’t have it in our heads to fight relegation. It’s on our minds to fight for the championship. From there, a totally different path begins.”

Original source in Spanish