Paco Jemez has claimed that Rayo Vallecano dream of enjoying even more success next season, despite a busy summer awaiting the club.
Los Vallecanos gained an influx of new admirers last term as their fearless approach culminated in a 11th-place finish in La Liga, but also at the expense of top goalscorer Alberto Bueno and Chelsea loanee Gael Kakuta.
However, the Coach – who ended speculation about his own future by signing a new deal last month – believes the sky remains the limit for Rayo.
“[Last season] was very good. The team’s performance exceeded all expectations,” he told AS.
“[On fans chanting ‘Rayo-Liverpool’ during their pursuit of Europa League], it’s normal that the fans feel excited, but we must give out a more realistic message.
“Any objective is achievable, but Rayo, in principle, aren’t built to fight for these objectives.
“However, we try to convince ourselves that we have no limits in order to finish as high as possible. If we set ourselves objectives, it makes it difficult to progress further.
“We always knew of [Gael Kakuta’s] great talent, although in recent years he hadn’t played where he was sent to. We found him at the best of times.
“Scoring 17 goals for Rayo is something that very few players can do [referring to Alberto Bueno, who is joining Porto].
“He has also been very important [to Rayo] for his work without the ball. He’s improved just for doing things that weren’t previously his forte.
“[Adri Embarba] has great talent but must learn to be more of a player. Hopefully, next season will be his big year.
“[There’s less than 13 players on our books] because, although they are still under contract, we’ll try to move them on to where they can get minutes.
“Ultimately, we’ll sign at least 12 or 13 players. We need players in every position and there’s no cover at the moment.
“I’m not talking about anyone in particular. There are players who will find it difficult to play and we must find them a way out.
“The more, the better. The club are working hard on renewals.
“We have a great relationship with Atletico [Madrid]. When they decide they don’t need anyone, we’ll see if we can get hold of one [of their discarded players].
“[The drawn-out nature of] my renewal hasn’t affected me. The negotiations were difficult, but I knew that there’d be other options if I didn’t stay on.”
