Jose Luis Gaya claims he always wanted to remain at Valencia despite being linked with a move to Real Madrid this summer.
The 19-year-old left-back, a product of the club’s youth academy, has signed a five-year contract extension at Mestalla that will tie him to the club until 2020, and believes the doubts surrounding his future have forced him to grow up quickly.
“It’s been a process of maturity. What’s good is that I’ve already gone through all of this at the age of 19,” he is quoted as saying by AS.
“I’ve seen and heard so many lies so we decided, both the club and my representatives, not to say anything.
“Everyone knew my intention was to stay at Valencia and the best thing was to keep silent, although at times I’d have liked to have spoken out.
“I even heard I’d signed for another team and that was a lie. I always wanted to stay despite the things I read.
“I don’t know if any offers came in for me. I told my agents the main thing was for me to remain here.”
Gaya told how he handled the pressure the constant speculation brought about.
“I’ve felt fine on the pitch over the last few months but there have been moments that make you think.
“The reality is that it’s not been easy to cut myself off from it all, yet I’ve always tried to go into games in my best form,” he explained.
