JOSÉ MARÍA DEL NIDO CARRASCO: "I WAS THE FIRST TO ARGUE AGAINST SIGNING SERGIO"

José María del Nido Carrasco, vice president of Sevilla FC, spoke to the club's radio station on Monday night, analysing the return of Sergio Ramos to the Sánchez-Pizjuán after 18 years, calling it "much more than just a signing. It brings prestige, pedigree, a world champion who was bred here... he is one and the same with the hierarchy and ambitions of the club... this is the return of the prodigal son, you could say."

"At the start of the summer, the board of director established a plan to reinforce our core business model. Young, unknown players, with the potential to rise in value... and in those parameters he didn't fit in because of his seniority, even though he is very good. I was the first one to say that there was no chance, I said it emphatically. The president (Jose Castro) and Víctor Orta felt the same, so it was a principle shared by the board. Yet, as the markets evolved, and we had three poor results and our Super Cup defeat, plus some doubts about the physical states of some players. We found ourselves in a position where we had enough room on the wage bill to accommodate [Bouboukary] Soumaré, Mariano and Sergio Ramos. At that point our transfer policy shifted somewhat so we contacted Sergio. We set up a videocall and our offer was music to his ears and with all his eagerness to help the team, rather than continue visiting here as an opponent, we decided he would be a great addition to our squad," he continued

"If it is good for Sevilla we cannot be slaves to our words."

Del Nido Carrasco went on to defend the board's u-turn over disregarding older players: "The first person to rule out this approach was me, with conviction. Not because he wasn't a good candidate, but because of the parameters we had outlined. We always try to stick by our principles. However this is football. If I say now that the squad is really good, then in the winter we might have to sell or sign players, but that doesn't mean I was wrong to say what I say now. It is unfair to focus criticism on Víctor Orta because I was the first one to deliver that message and there are many reasons as to why this decision has changed. We have a young defence and Sergio's experience and ambition can help [Tanguy] Nianzou, Kike Salas or [Federico] Gattoni develop. Pointing the finger at Víctor is wrong because all decisions are made following discussions with the board. In fact we considered the option that we had spoken out against, but if it is good for Sevilla we cannot be slaves to our words. It was for the good of the club that we changed our opinion."

"Sergio has turned down huge money to return here. Our initial meeting with him overflowed with joy, enthusiasm and ambition... he seemed like a kid with a dream to come back. He wanted to make amends. The first thing he did was apologise for making a mistake, something we have all done in our lives. He loved all the ideas we discussed, including those of Víctor and the coach. We're all excited about Sergio Ramos' return to the club", he concluded