With few words, but offering a very ambitious speech, Espanyol completes the signing of Tonny Vilhena”>Tonny Vilhena has presented himself this Thursday as a new Espanyol player. The 27-year-old Dutch footballer arrives in Cornellà-El Prat on loan from Krasnodar, who will take over much of his record until the end of the season. The white-and-blue entity has a purchase option of less than 4 million euros, which, however, includes a series of variables that could increase the price depending on the performance of the player and the team. in the future. “These are very correct parameters,” said the general manager of Espanyol, José María Durán Farré, who did not want to give figures on the purchase option or subsequent payments that would have to be faced. Both the player and the club have made it clear that their intention is to extend their stay beyond the summer.
“We have been talking to him since the summer. There was no agreement with the Krasnodar at the time, but he wanted to come here. He is versatile, he has strength and quality with the left “, commented the sports director, Rufete. Vilhena has defined himself as an experienced and versatile player. At Feyenoord he had played as a midfielder, while this season in Russia he was playing as a left winger. “I’m ready to play where the coach needs me, I don’t have a specific position,” he said. Although he has been training solo for a few days, and he admits that he will still need to play some games to “pick up the pace”, the new winter signing of Espanyol has been offered to Vicente Moreno to make his debut this Friday against Betis (9pm, M. LaLiga). The club has received the missing documentation from Krasnodar this morning and hopes to be registered in the League.
The new white-and-blue reinforcement has made it clear that he wants the team to fight for the highest places in the league. “We don’t have to be afraid of big teams, we play well and we have to look up. We have to set high goals, we can be in the top five, ”he said. Vilhena considers it key to face each game “as a final”.
The template, open
Despite having the 25 first team players occupied and not having any more salary margin, Rufete did not want to close a winter market “where clubs always move more in the last week”. The sporting director has denied that they have any firm offers for any of the players in the first team squad, although he has admitted that there have been signs of interest. “If there is a way out, we have the work done to try to take advantage of these situations,” he said.
The Alicante native has commented on the situation of two players from the squad with whom they are negotiating the renewal. De Melendo, whose contract expires this June, has commented that an offer has been sent to him and that it remains to be seen if the player wants to continue. “We have some margins and some limits, but we want it to continue. We’ll see if the other party wants it too, “he said. On Pedrosa, who has a contract until 2023, he acknowledged that he is giving “a very important performance” and that, for this reason, Espanyol “will do everything to keep it”. “Its growth here is very good, and it still has room to continue to do so much more,” he said.
