Girona lives its sweetest moment. The Catalan team mathematically certified yesterday their permanence in the Santander League and dreams of Europe after their solid victory last night in Seville. Girona, with 44 points and an income of 13 from relegation with 18 to play, is five points behind Betis, which holds sixth place, and only three behind Athletic Club and seventh place, which would give access to the Conference League if this Saturday Real Madrid (2nd) beat Osasuna (9th) in the Copa del Rey final.

Despite the enthusiasm of the fans, the club lives more realistically its possible participation in the Conference League next year: “Play in Europe? We are professionals and we want to be as high as possible, but I think that at the moment we are not a club prepared to play Thursday and Sunday. Therefore, from the outset, I wouldn’t be enthusiastic about it, but there are six games left and we’ll try”, acknowledged the club’s sports director, Quique Cárcel.

Yes, he is more firm in the club’s desire to renew Míchel until 2026: “The idea is to try so that Míchel can have two more years. We would like them to be more, but from the outset it is not so easy”. Cárcel has highlighted the good integration of the coach in the club and in the territory: “Our intention is to make a project. He is key and he knows it. He is a person of his word and he is deeply rooted in the values ​​of Catalonia, I think he feels very happy”.

The club’s owners also like the profile and proposal of the coach of the Catalan team: “Míchel already knows the owners of the City Football Group and they feel that he is a coach who is very well suited to the club’s future objectives. The team has achieved permanence by trying to play football and this is one of the important objectives, ”he adds.

Looking ahead to next season, Cárcel hopes to “keep as many players as possible.” An increasingly real possibility thanks to the good work of the Girona entity: “I think that [the players] are increasingly happy with the club and see that we can take a step forward, and this makes many of them start to rethink staying here.”