Valencia at 100: President Anil Murthy on plans to compete with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico

Valencia at 100 | How club will compete with Barcelona and Real Madrid
REUTERS/Juan Medina
Ben Hayward20 March 2019

Valencia president Anil Murthy is confident the club can become of the best in Europe in the coming years thanks to the economic and social stability at Mestalla.

After coming 12th in consecutive seasons in La Liga, Valencia finished fourth last term and returned to the Champions League and in this, the year of their centenary, the club are still in contention for two trophies.

Marcelino's side have reached the final of the Copa del Rey, in which they will meet Barcelona in May, and are through to the quarter-finals of the Europa League. Meanwhile, there is also hope – following a slow start to the season – that the club can claim the final Champions League place.

President Murthy tells Standard Sport that youth development is the key to competing in the years ahead.

"After finishing 12th and 12th in the league, we went to the Champions League last year, finishing fourth," he said. "Today, we are in the final of the Copa del Rey, we are still going strong in the Europe League and we are still aiming for the fourth place in La Liga, the last Champions League spot.

"Something we are doing, which is very important to the DNA of the club, is we are investing heavily in our academy. We are attracting the best talent from Valencia at a young age, and later on from Europe and further afield. Our team plays with young players and all these young boys from across the world want to play with us because they have a chance to play in the First Division.

"Our objective as a club is to play in Europe every season and today we have the sporting structure and the ambition to make this happen. The fans understand exactly what we are doing, which is why we have a lot of stability in a place that has seen a lot of unrest in the past."

Atletico Madrid have shown in recent years that it is possible to challenge Barcelona and Real Madrid in La Liga, as well as enjoying success in Europe, but Murthy believes Valencia must find their own path.

"We have said a number of times that Atletico Madrid could be an example for Valencia to follow in how they made it consistently to the Champions League," he said. "I would say no, I would say no because Valencia has to find its own path to get there and we have made a conscious decision that our path to excellence is going to be through the best young players."

Valencia president Anil Murthy with former Valencia player Simone Zaza Photo: AFP/Getty Images
AFP/Getty Images

"We are not going to go in the direction of signing players for an exorbitant amount of money. We are going to maintain ourselves financially solid, socially solid, that includes having the best Valencian boys playing in our team. That is going to be our way of going forward. It worked for us last year.

"Slowly as we build in this way, we will build our own style of football and create our style of club. Maybe in 10 years people will be asking Atletico if they want to follow Valencia."

Prior to Atletico's title triumph in 2013-14, the previous club from outside Spain's big two to win La Liga was Valencia in both 2001-02 and 2003-04, but it has been some time since the Mestalla club challenged for the league.

"Are we in the shadows?," Murthy said. "I would not say we are in the shadows. Are we doing as well? Not yet. We don’t look at those teams as the ones we have to beat. We are looking at Europe in general. Will that translate to us being leaders in La Liga? It could be, because the way football is changing, the way clubs are spending too much money on players sometimes, could eventually backfire.

"We have to maintain our own way of doing things in reaching excellence in football. Young players, Valencia players, attracting the best players, and we will get there."

Rodrigo Moreno led Valencia to the final of the Copa del Rey Photo: AFP/Getty Images
AFP/Getty Images

As well as developing the best young players locally, Valencia have opened academies in different parts of the world – including in China and United States – in the hope of unearthing talents for the future.

"We don’t just open franchises," Murthy said. "We send our own people there, teach the coaches in the academies out methodology and transmit our values of what youth development will be. What we are doing across the world and it’s working very well."

The club currently finds itself in a strong position financially, having overcome huge debts in recent years, and Murthy says the arrival as Peter Lim as owner was key.

"A significant moment in the history of Valencia was the entry of Peter Lim," he said. "He invested more than €200 million into this club. Today, as we mark our centenary, we have financial, social and sporting stability. Over the last few years, we have put together a team of strong professionals.

"This is not usual in football and much less in Spanish football. In the last two years we have also put in place a very solid sporting structure."

Valencia earned a 2-2 draw at Camp Nou earlier this year Photo: AFP/Getty Images
AFP/Getty Images

One project that did have to be put on the back burner when money was tight was the Nou Mestalla stadium, which remains half built with an uncertain future despite around €125 million already having been spent. So what is happening now with proposed move?

"The Nou Mestalla is not that new," Murthy said. "It has been sitting there now for the last 10 years. In its current form, it’s not a football stadium. It was built as an Olympic-style stadium with an athletics track, so what we need to do is convert that and update that to a football stadium of today. Not a football stadium, or an Olympic stadium, of 10 years ago.

"The current Mestalla is going to be 100 years old in a few years’ time. It’s a great stadium. We are continuing this project to move to the new stadium, we are working with Deloitte, to sell the current plot and manage the move to the new stadium. All depends on the kind of offers that come in.

"What we don’t want to do, and what I’m very certain of, is to do something for the sake of doing it and lead this club into financial difficulties. We are going to avoid that. If we do move to the new stadium, we have to do it properly and we have to build a stadium that makes sense and is one of the most beautiful and happy for fans. And not just do something for the sake of doing it."

The Nou Mestalla is only half built and remains a shell Photo: Getty Images
Getty Images

Murthy believes the club are now in a strong position, even in the event of a downturn of results.

"In football there is no certainty," he said. "Where we are, Marcelino is in a strong position and he is working very well. We have the base to pick ourselves up if things don’t go well.

"We are building a club that is well equipped to get back up during bad times. Today, on our centenary, I think we are even more equipped than before."

And after Monday's centenary celebrations, the Valencia president is looking ahead to what he sees as a bright future for the club.

"The VCF story is a beautiful one and we want to share it with the rest of the world," he said. "There are so many clubs out there. We have to be different and we have to be good at what we are doing.

"It’s not easy to reach 100 years for a football club, but we want to ensure that we do well for the next 100 years. Football is going to continue changing and we have to be at the forefront and in some areas, provide leadership, for example youth talent development, and we are going to be excellent in those areas."

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