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After holding the first official press conference on Tuesday, the new Barcelona coach Tito Vilanova could not avoid questions about the team's strengthening plans.
As expected, media representatives were most interested in the possibility of the Catalan team acquiring Athletic Bilbao defender Javi Martinez, who has been constantly mentioned in various newspaper publications for several months.
"The current team will be strengthened in every possible way. We will not overlook the Barcelona youth academy. We cannot just waste money. If it fails, we will look to those who are 'at home' (in the youth academy). Javi Martinez would fit perfectly into the team and he is a player with qualities that would be very useful for the team, but we must not forget that there are other players on the market," said T. Vilanova.
Athletic Bilbao, with whom J. Martinez has a contract until the summer of 2016, is asking for 40 million euros for one of their leaders.
T. Vilanova also assured that he and all the Barcelona players are eagerly awaiting the day when David Villa returns to the squad after recovering from a serious injury.
According to the coach, the 30-year-old forward is still very important to the team: "In the transfer market, we are not looking for attacking players, as we have enough of them. David Villa has already started training with the team and that was a pleasant surprise for all of us. We will patiently wait as long as necessary. He needs to fully recover, and rushing could have the worst consequences."
Journalists at the press conference were also interested in the new coach's opinion on Barcelona youth academy graduate Gerard Deulofeu.
The 18-year-old forward impressed at the recent European youth championship, where the Spanish national team beat Greece 1-0 in the final. The impressive performance of the young footballer did not go unnoticed by many club scouts, and reports immediately surfaced in the media that the young talent had 'received many offers.'
"I know Gerard well enough. His potential is enormous, but now the biggest mistake would be to rush to make an overly hasty decision. He still needs to learn a lot. Right now he is a player in Barcelona B. If G. Deulofeu progresses as rapidly, entering the first team will be just a matter of time," said the Catalan coach.
