RON GOURLAY: "BETWEEN US ALL, WE CAN GET VALENCIA CF BACK TO WHERE THE CLUB BELONG" | OneFootball

Ron Gourlay, CEO of Football at Valencia CF, spoke to the media at Mestalla on Wednesday to review the club's summer transfer market activity and more.

Opening Message

Good morning, everyone. It's a pleasure to be here. I hope to rise to the challenges ahead, but I'm surrounded by a good team and I hope to contribute my experience from now on. When they called me to come to Valencia CF, I had no hesitation. Valencia CF are a great club, with great potential; it's a global club. I've been fortunate to take on challenges at clubs like Manchester United throughout my career, and now I'm extremely fortunate to be coming to Valencia CF. I'm looking forward to what the future holds. I think it's a bright future, and we're eager to work towards that future. What I can bring to the club is my experience at many levels and in many countries. I'm a very ambitious person, a responsible person who came here for this project.I see many young faces and other faces that are older, like mine, but above all I want to see happy faces at this football club. Together, we can return this club to the level they deserve to be at. Why am I here at this point in my career? First, it's the project. I believe in this project; it's a project for the future. The second is the Nou Mestalla. All the big clubs have modern stadiums, and this should be the case here as well. The third reason is Carlos Corberán. I've worked with him before, I know him, I know what he can bring, I know his passion, his integrity, and his commitment. He's capable of getting the most out of the players. We need resources, of course, but we need someone capable of getting the most out of them. Not everything will be achieved in one season; we'll need time, and I hope you'll all soon see the changes at Valencia CF.What Peter Lim wants from Valencia CFIt's a good question to start with. The majority shareholder wants the club to move forward. We've seen this through the new president and the support he's given me in recent weeks. We've seen it in the signings and also in the young players who are the future of the team. You can't build a project for the future without these players. I have ambitions for the club; I'm someone who has come from a successful background, and I believe we have a lot of work to do. I'm a person who speaks openly. If I speak, I'm telling the truth; if you read it elsewhere and it doesn't come from the club, maybe it isn't the truth.

We need our fans on board. We have to believe we can change the situation. I've seen the change that has occurred with Carlos Corberán's arrival, which was a huge change in a difficult situation. The players won the games they needed to win, and now we have a foundation from which we can build. Since I arrived, I've felt great support, I have a lot of confidence in the potential of this club. I've worked at other clubs before, and I know what it takes to achieve success. Last year we were in survival mode; right now the situation is different. I know that words don't matter; what matters are actions. I take responsibility; I know what I have to do. I don't want to give a timescale for changing the situation; it probably won't be a few months, maybe a little longer. And I wanted to reiterate, regarding the presidency and the Board of Directors, that we are all aligned.How long it will be before a return to the elite of European football

It's important to bring ambition to clubs. I've been fortunate to work with the best managers and win two Champions League titles on two continents. I'm a realistic person. I'm not negative, but you have to be realistic. The first question I ask myself at a club is whether we're being realistic. The worst thing is to not be realistic. When I arrived and met with Corona, we saw what we could do. We've brought in five players, and we have to keep the young players to create for the future. It's not always possible, but I think good work has been done since I arrived, and the coach has been given resources, and now he has to get results. I wanted to say a couple of things: Players who don't want to be here won't stay, but will leave the club on the terms set by Valencia CF. Secondly, I want the players to give 200% on the pitch. We're working to build quality and a good squad. I'm here to take the club back to where it belongs, that's why it's important to work.