Adrián: Eibar will always have a place in my heart
The Armeros midfielder announced that he is set to leave the club at the end of the current campaign
SD Eibar's Adrián González today revealed that he will be leaving the club at the end of the season, declaring his sadness to be departing and insisting that, "Eibar will always have a place in my heart".
Adrián was speaking at a farewell press conference at which he was joined by several members of the squad, including the club captains, Dani García and Iván Ramis; members of the board, led by president, Amaia Gorostiza; members of the football management department and club staff, all of whom offered the Eibar man an ovation at the end of the press conference.
"Many thanks to the club for what have been two magnificent years and also to my teammates, who have helped to ensure that these two years have been full of happiness. I've had two really great years here, during which there have been virtually no bad times. My spell here has served me very well as far as my career is concerned. I will forever be grateful to Eibar and the club will always have a place in my heart".
"Things are now coming to an end and we go our separate ways. It'll be tough to leave after the two years that I've had here. My career goes on and decisions had to be made. It wasn't easy because I was keen to stay here. It's with regret that I 'm leaving, but you have to respect all of the options and what the club believes the agreement between us should have been like".
When asked about the reasons behind his departure, Adrián revealed that there were "differing opinions" about a renewed deal, but he was quick to clarify that, "everyone has their own views", before declaring that, "the important thing is that both parties have massive respect for each other".
Taking their places in the front row of the media room were the club's director of football, Fran Garagarza, and technical secretary, Mikel Martija. "I leave with the same good relationship with Fran and Mikel despite us having disagreed about what the deal should have been".
"There's a great rapport with the football management department, but there's no reason why we have to agree about what each other think with regards to me remaining here. I can only thank the club for these two marvellous years, which have done wonders for me, both on and off the field".
When quizzed about his future plans, Adrián stressed that, "Now isn't the time to be speaking about any other team but Eibar and how comfortable I've felt in my two years here".
"From my spell here, there's not one particular thing that I'll take away with me, it's all been great. Right from day one, I landed on my feet and things worked out really well for me. From the very first day, I felt affection and respect from the club's fans. If I play on Sunday it certainly won't be easy for me to say goodbye to everyone. I had hoped that our adventure together would have turned out to be a longer one. I'm sad to be leaving. I hope to return here for many years to come, because that would mean that things are going well for Eibar and myself. I hope that when I do return, the fans feel the same affection towards me as that which I will feel when I set foot on the Ipurua pitch again".