Zaragoza’s survival hero demands total rebuild to stay | OneFootball

Gabi Fernández’s future at Real Zaragoza remains up in the air despite orchestrating the club’s survival in the Liga Hypermotion. Following a vital win against Deportivo that secured safety, the head coach was clear: his intention is to stay, but only if Zaragoza commit to meaningful change.

Fernández has been open about his position, stating, “My priority is Real Zaragoza. Since I arrived, I’ve only thought about Zaragoza, and now that we’ve achieved our aim, my thoughts turn to the future.” However, he stopped short of confirming his continuation, adding, “I have nothing signed with Real Zaragoza. Tomorrow I’ll meet with them to see what their aims and project are for next season, and if the direction convinces me, we will start working together.”

Central to Fernández’s demands is the establishment of a robust and unified sporting project—one that goes well beyond short-term fixes and reflects a fundamental reset. He argued, “If we want to fight for bigger things, we need to start from scratch. The club is building a new stadium by knocking everything down and creating new foundations, and we need to do the same with the sporting project.” He referenced frequent instability at the club, with repeated changes of ownership and management undermining efforts to build something lasting. “Solid projects show their worth in times of difficulty. Here, everything has blown up when things got tough,” he said.

Recalling the difficult state of the team on his arrival, Fernández described inheriting a squad “mentally dead and not at their physical best.” He credits his main achievement as having changed the mood around the club, stressing that intangible progress: “My main virtue has been to shake off the bubble of pessimism. I came here with no experience, but with personality, and when I set out to do something, I get there.”

He’s under no illusions about the scale of progress required. “Obviously, we are not going to go from fighting to avoid relegation to challenging for promotion in fifteen days, but there are strong projects that can deliver quickly. I hope Zaragoza’s can be one of them,” he explained.

For now, all eyes turn to his discussions with the Zaragoza board. He insists that alignment among directors, staff, supporters and players is crucial. As talks get underway, Fernández has made one thing clear: remaining with Zaragoza is his preference, but only if genuine ambition is matched by structural steps.

On personnel matters, he highlighted Francho Serrano’s contract renewal, suggesting the midfielder “has to be the flagbearer of the new project.” Good relations continue with Kervin Arriaga, whose future at the club is to be decided. Ultimately, much depends on whether the club’s hierarchy back Fernández’s vision for sustainable progress.

Source: Diario AS, Heraldo de Aragón, Aragón Deporte, El Periódico de Aragón