The Press Room at the Carlos Tartiere today hosted the presentation of Andriy Lunin as a new Real Oviedo player. The keeper appeared for the first time before the Press today, after his signing was announced on Wednesday, in the build-up to the Almería match. He was accompanied today by Club President Jorge Menéndez Vallina and Director of Football Francesc Arnau.
The Real Oviedo Club President began the presentation by thanking the "teamwork" which made the signing happen. Describing how the deal had "seemed impossible", he praised the involvement of many people inside the club as well as Arturo Elías, and gave an added mention to Real Madrid, the player's parent club.
The goalkeeper began by analysing yesterday's debut for Los Azules, saying that "it all happened very quickly. It didn't turn out how we'd hoped, but we fought to the end. We are going to try to work day by day to improve and grow. We have to try to win the next match."
Asked for his reasons for opting for Real Oviedo, Lunin highlighted that "this is a big club and has a lot of ambition to return to Primera. I am grateful that they have chosen me. I want to play here and grow with the team. I want to play. I've lost a bit of time in my career, and I want to win with the team. We have to climb the table by working day by day. My objective is to get back to competing for a place at Real Madrid, but that comes later. Right now I am only thinking about what I want to do here."
Regarding the error which led to the team conceding the second goal yesterday, the Ukrainian keeper was clear that "life is full of mistakes. Errors help you grow. I ask for forgiveness, because it was my fault. If the keeper comes out then he has to play it. I am going to keep working, try to grow, and do everything I can in each match to help my teammates and keep clean sheets. I need a clear head in order to do what I can do and I always do. My teammates helped me a lot after the match and I am grateful to them."
With respect to the Segunda División, Lunin explained that "it's a very competitive division, the atmosphere is incredible, and I think it is very similar to Primera. All the teams here are competitive." On a personal level, he hopes "to be much better than I am now at the end of the season, both as a goalkeeper and as a person. My teammates are very good and help me a lot, and I hope that we have our heads held high at the end of the season. I know the fans are always with the team and it is an honour for me to play for them."
Finally, asked whether he's thinking about the European Championship, Lunin admitted that "it's a clear aim for me, and that's why I'm very grateful to this club for having faith that I can play and prove my worth. Euro 2020 is one of my objectives."
To conclude, Francesc Arnau also expressed his gratitude to all parties who made it possible to "combine his hunger to play and prove himself, and our hunger to have him here. I can see a lot of myself in him, because I also found it hard to win a place at FC Barcelona. He is looking to become a top goalkeeper and here we are offering him the chance to do so. I hope he will be able to say that we helped him become the keeper he wants to be, and we all want him to get there. I think both he and Luismi are going to contribute a lot to us. Now is the time to make them feel important and for them to help us meet our objective."
