This afternoon, the Press Room at the Carlos Tartiere played host to a press conference in which Miguel Pérez Cuesta, “Michu”, was presented as Real Oviedo’s new technical secretary.
The Oviedo-born former player was accompanied by the club’s President, Jorge Menéndez Vallina, who began by stating that “we welcome him home, and we are happy that he’s back. I have always said that great companies have both great talent and great people, and we have one sitting right here.”
Michu began his remarks by saying that “I am very excited to be here, it is an honour to come back home. I have always said that we have been keeping in contact and I am here to help Real Oviedo. I am happy to be back home; it is an honour. I have been in touch with Joaquín and he made me feel that this was my home and that I would always be welcome here. The opportunity arose with Ángel’s departure, and here I am.”
With respect to what his return to Real Oviedo means to him, Michu stated that “this is my team, and extra responsibility comes with that. I am excited to be back and it's great. I have grown and developed. Now it’s time for me to work in a different area, to help the club. It is an important challenge.”
Commenting on how he sees the team and the final stretch of the season, Michu stated that “I know them, and I have a good relationship with the Coach. Real Oviedo has the chance of being promoted. My first match back working here was against Las Palmas. Seeing the players and coaching staff's passion as they entered the changing room with tears in their eyes at fulltime actually put a smile back on my face and gave me hope. We have a real chance and I think that they are going to fight for it. We can make assessments at the end (of the season). We have a real chance of competing in the First Division, and we are going to go for it. We’ll take it one match at a time, and we are now working towards the 'final' against Córdoba."
When asked about his experience and how it affects his daily approach, Michu said that “experience doesn’t guarantee you anything. It’s true that I don’t have much experience, but if experience did guarantee you something, there would be a lot more older people in the role!” Moreover, regarding the work performed by Ángel Martín, the Asturian recognised that “a large number of the first-team squad have already had their contract renewed, and that has been done very well. There are more things still on the table, but we’ll have to wait and see. There are eight matchdays left and I believe that we can make it to the playoffs and play in a higher division. Ángel is a wonderful professional, cream of the crop, and I am grateful for his work.”
Talking about the possible return of ex-'Oviedistas' like Cazorla, Mata or Adrián, the new technical secretary admitted that “they are great football players, but they are playing in European competitions right now. The door is always open to them and it would be an honor if they were to come back, but I think that is a little way off right now.”
Asked about the possible contract renewal of Saúl Berjón, Michu confirmed that “he is under the terms of the contract that he signed two years ago, and he has another season remaining.”
Looking at his staff and possible additions that could be made, he believes that “we have to take a look and analyse it all, but it is working well. We are open to everything, but the important thing now is to wait. We might be in another division next season, and I have complete trust in them.”
Finally, addressing the length of his contract, Michu concluded by saying that “I feel at home here and when I see that I can no longer help, then I will leave.”
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