Valencia mess deepens as general director Alemany leaves

Valencia have confirmed general director Mateu Alemany is to leave the club following a meeting with club owner Peter Lim in Singapore.

Alemany and the club agreed to terminate his contract last week and he has now said goodbye to Lim ahead of his formal departure.

“Valencia wish to publicly express gratitude to Mateu Alemany for his enormous dedication, effort and achievements throughout his time at the entity, and wish him all the best in his professional career,” the club said in a statement.

While the news has not come as a surprise, it raises further questions of Lim’s management of Valencia after a turbulent few months.

Marcelino’s two-year reign as head coach was controversially ended by Lim in September, with the tactician claiming he was sacked for winning the Copa del Rey last season instead of focusing on securing a top-four finish, which they also achieved.

Several Valencia players were outraged at the decision and the squad refused to take part in post-match media duties after the 5-2 defeat by Barcelona in new coach Albert Celades’ first game in charge.

Alemany was reported to have been Marcelino’s main backer among the club’s hierarchy, having hired him in 2017 and then supported him when under pressure last season.

The decision to dismiss Marcelino appeared to leave Alemany’s position looking untenable, particularly given suggestions in local media that he was not consulted about the hiring of Celades.

Valencia, who have won only four of 12 LaLiga matches this season, sit 13th in the table.

Official Statement https://t.co/BJDcTkNaXF

— Valencia CF English (@valenciacf_en) November 7, 2019