Pedro Martinez reveals meetings with Valencia's management / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Edu Del Fresno/ZUMA Press Wire Credit Edu Del Fresno/ZUMA Press Wire

Valencia Basket sports director Chechu Mulero gave his first interview since the Spanish team was included in the 2022-23 EuroLeague lineup.

Talking to Las Provincias, Mulero said that Valencia will be counting on more than 12 players next season and added that they are looking for a "more physical" squad.

Alex Mumbru was recently hired as the head coach on a three-year deal.

"It seems to me that in the years at Bilbao Basket he has shown brilliant control in group management, in the locker room. His game is daring, direct and courageous. The evolution of the team in the last season has been a very clear example. He is a perfectly qualified coach to train a team like ours," Mulero said of Mumbru.

However, the most interesting part of the conversation was about former Valencia Basket (2015-17) coach Pedro Martinez and the possibility of him taking over the team.

Mulero argued that no negotiations with the BAXI Manresa play-caller have ever taken place.

"We studied all the options on the market and at the time we decided that we wanted our coach to be Alex Mumbru, we have not negotiated with anyone else. It was all very fast with Mumbru."

Mulero went on to say that Martinez "never" was an option. "The only option that we have contemplated is that of Alex Mumbru," he repeated.

"At a given moment, we analyzed the situation of all the coaches that we could sign; we have done it with Alex, with Pedro (Martinez) and with all the possible options.

If the question is whether there has been any negotiation with Pedro Martinez, I say no. There have been no negotiations and I know what I mean by the word negotiation," he said.

Pedro Martinez, always active on Twitter, responded via his personal account to what Valencia's sports director claimed.

"With me, [they had] two face-to-face meetings - one with CEO Enric Carbonell. Both took place in Tarragona. The first was on May 31 and the second on June 7. I don't know if Chechu was aware of it," the 60-year-old tactician wrote, refuting Mulero's claim.

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