2023-09-13 06:30:46
A Fourth of July nine years ago now, Quique Cárcel landed in Montilivi. He did it with the enthusiasm of a young sports manager, who had recently hung up his boots and was tasting professional football for the first time after a few good years at l’Hospitalet. The bet for the “planter” and “good football” were two of the ideas that emanated from his presentation as Girona’s top sports manager. The other is to try to avoid the “economic limitations” marked by a very low salary limit of barely two million euros. Still owned by Joseph Delgadothe club was going through a turbulent time following the departure ofOriol Alsina and some movements in the market that would also end, after a while, with the stage of Francis Rebled to the presidency Precisely a lunch between Rebled and Cárcel had derailed the signing of the Barcelona player the day before. It’s been nine years now. The rest is a beautiful love story, full of smiles and also many tears, which has ended with Girona in the First Division and enjoying the best years in its history. Part of the credit goes to a Jail that goes yesterday extend his contract with the white-and-red team until 2027.
There has been no shortage of calls and offers in Cárcel, especially in recent years. What if Barça, Las Palmas, Sevilla… The reality is that with Cárcel, Girona has contested five promotion play-offs (2015, 2016, 2020, 2021 and 2022), has been four seasons, currently in Primera, and has achieved two promotions. Montilivi has gone from experiencing moments of economic hardship that made it difficult to register players who came from Second B to seeing the team second in the First Division classification. The Barcelona native has lived and been the protagonist of the growth that the club has experienced in the last decade. When he arrived in 2014 his first job was to try to convince David Garcia, Juanlu Hens and Jandro Castro so that the salary would be lowered because otherwise, he could not sign up more players. The first signings announced in his tenure were Florian Lejeune and Fran Sandaza as he looked to impress Hidden Eloi to renew he did it
Quique Cárcel: eight years working as an architect for Girona’s teams
A new dimension
The context has been completely turned upside down nine years after Cárcel landed in Girona. His latest task has been to convince an international and World Cup player of Barça com Eric Garcia to come to Girona. A whole other world for a club that has taken an immense leap forward in all areas and of which Cárcel has been the protagonist every day. It’s also his fault the landing of Michel Sanchez in Montilivi With the coach from Madrid, the team returned to Primera and stayed there last year. With Míchel renewed until 2026, now it’s his turn. “We are very lucky that we speak the same footballing language”, they often say of each other. Cárcel’s confidence in Míchel has been maximum since day one. Even when things were going badly, at the beginning of the 2021-22 season and far from the play-off places after losing against Huesca (1-3), he offered to renew. Míchel always remembers, gratefully, that gesture. The team ended up going up and the coach renewed his contract a couple of times (until 2026). For its part, Cárcel’s last contract extension was in 2022 with a tie until 2025. Now the club secures him for two more seasons (2027).
After a few days of vacation coinciding with the closing of the summer market, Cárcel is already viewing the folders that will be opened this season. At the end of the year, the contract ends David LopezJuan Carlos, Juanpe, Bernardo, Borja Garcia, Bebe and the four on loan (Èric Garcia, Pablo Torre, Couto and Savinho) and will have to decide what to do. In terms of work, there is a lot of progress due to the additions in the ownership of players like Herrera, Dovbyk, Solis or the renewals of Aleix Garcia and Arnau Martínez. With Bueno in Wolverhampton for twelve million, we will certainly see more sales in the short term. “To grow, you need sales”he states.
As he has done since he arrived that July 2014, Cárcel will continue to work with humility and down to earth as he has always done because, first of all, it is necessary to ensure the continuity of the team in First Division. Doing so will be the big hit of the season and another for your collection. He does not want to hear about major milestones, although if they do come, he will be the first to experience them, celebrate them and work on them with passion.
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