Valencia haven’t even confirmed Gennaro Gattuso as their new coach yet, but he’s already been lambasted by fans on social media, with Santiago Canizares calling him ‘a son of Jorge Mendes’ in a lengthy YouTube rant.
The 44-year-old tactician reportedly signed the two-year contract earlier this week following a visit to Singapore, meeting club owner Peter Lim and super agent Mendes.
It is Mendes who represents both Gattuso and – coincidentally – most of the players that the coach has requested Valencia sign this summer.
This was also the cause of Gattuso’s exit from Fiorentina in the summer of 2021, just two weeks after signing on as coach, because the Viola refused to pay what they considered to be exorbitant prices for players Mendes represented.
The Mendes link with Valencia goes way back, of course, and this will only further consolidate his grip on the club.
Former Valencia player Canizares went on a lengthy YouTube rant calling Gattuso a “son of Mendes who works side by side with the agent to create the model of a team. So if he will be the new coach of Valencia, there’s no sporting analysis going on here.
“Is it right for one agent to control an entire club through his coach? I don’t think this is a good method.”
Meanwhile, fans are also flooding social media with the hashtag #NoGattuso because of comments he made in the past, the same ones that practically sabotaged his negotiations to take over at Tottenham Hotspur and Everton.
Gattuso, who by his own admission has little education and is rather old-fashioned, insisted his sexist and homophobic statements were twisted out of context.
He had said of Barbara Berlusconi that he “didn’t see women working in football” and insisted “marriage is between a man and a woman.”
Ringhio will be the best thing to happen to Valencia. When he took over at Milan, there was no fight within the players. He instilled a sense of identity, love for the shirt, and performed very well on the pitch. He did the same at Napoli. Once could say he was unlucky or not good enough to miss out on champ league on both occasions on last day, but Valencia have been in the doldrums for years.
Gattuso is my hero
Gattuso is a man of convictions and a fighter. If after all Valencia caves to the fans, it is their loss. Gattuso has money to live comfortably for 200 years, so that should be something to think for Valencia, he has money and still wants to work
Putuco@
So? Whom doesn’t?