Paco Peña: "The Market Was Perfect Until Yanis Got Injured"

As expected, Hércules' technical secretary Paco Peña did not add fuel to the small fire ignited last week by coach Rubén Torrecilla, who publicly admitted he was "angry" about how the winter market was managed. The coach expected more and better signings, and this Tuesday, the person responsible for this area, the also Extremaduran Peña, gave his version.

"The market was perfect until Yanis (Senhadji) got injured," stated the technical secretary at the start of his press conference. "We were clear about the profiles to strengthen, a left-back (Joel Arumí) and a forward (Yanis Senhadji) came. We also tried to bring in a midfielder, we even negotiated a transfer, but ultimately no agreement was reached," explained Peña. Although he did not reveal it, the player in question is Ben Hamed Ndongo from Amorebieta.

The technical secretary defended that his relationship with Torrecilla is "perfect" and also publicly supported left-back Arumí, who has arrived from Andorra, a Primera RFEF team where he barely had minutes: "We saw the boy and also asked for reports from a coach who was here (Tevenet) and spoke wonders. Personally, I like Arumí because he is a full-back with defensive presence and should complement well with Retu." When questioned about Sotillos' presence as a left-back in the last match in Madrid, Peña was laconic: "I don't make the line-ups."

The technical secretary revealed that Yanis will undergo surgery tomorrow, Wednesday, and once the procedure is completed, the recovery time will be known: "Yanis was a profile we loved because he gave us depth, the ability to run to the long ball, a profile we didn't have and that suited us wonderfully. Now we just have to hope the operation goes well and that he is with us as soon as possible to help us."

Regarding the many points Hércules has let slip away from Alicante when matches were in their favour, Peña focused on the players: "More than a matter of the coach, I think it's the players, it's a matter of concentration, cunning, aggressiveness... and it's true that when it happens more than twice, then you have a problem."

Peña assured that on the last day of the market, they desperately tried to bring in a forward after Yanis' injury, but it was not possible. He also insisted that the goal is to stay in the league, without ruling out competing in the promotion if the team secures safety with several games to spare.

Regarding the significant signings made by teams blatantly fighting for promotion like Real Murcia or Ibiza, Hércules' technical secretary insisted that their roadmap was different: "We don't compare ourselves with anyone, they are two very good teams and have strengthened as they saw fit."