The technical secretary of Real Betis Balompié made an appearance at midday today in the pressroom of the Benito Villamarín Stadium on the occasion of Dani Giménez and Jorge Casado's presentations as new players in the green-and-white discipline. Alexis offered information about the negotiations that are underway to bring together a revised configuration of the squad, not only in terms of reinforcements but also with those players with contracts still in force. Furthermore, the technical secretary from the Canary Islands revealed that the priority at this moment is to bring players into the defensive line.

Reinforcements of the defensive line: “The Club has players with contracts in force, like Jordi Figueras, who's going to stay with the team. In the case of Perquis, who also has a current contract with us, we are looking into the situation. Paulao also has a year left on his contract and is in the same situation as Perquis, as is Caro. It is a position that we must reinforce. We are evaluating different options. Very soon will be able to give more information about those players currently under contract and possible signings”.

Excitement about the new players being brought in: “I am very excited about the new players that are coming in. I'm sure they are players that are going to do their best, and the fans are going to enjoy watching them. The President's comments were more related to the figures that are being bandied about in football, the number of millions that are being paid for players. I'm very happy with the contracts we are signing and we are all very excited about their incorporation”.

Signings in the forward positions: “Rubén Castro, Jorge Molina, Chuli, Braian and Rennella are all currently under contract with us. Sergio Rodríguez is also going to take part in the first team's pre-season preparation. There are a number of players with different characteristics. We have evaluated the situation of each and every one and we believe that they are players of interest to the Club. As we get closer to the start of our pre-season programme we will analyse whether we have too many or enough players in this position. We have this position well covered. Probably we will have to reinforce other positions in which we have fewer players”.

Will Rubén Castro stay?: "We are constantly looking for alternatives despite the fact that we have positions that are fully covered. Out data base contains significant information on all positions. The club would like him to stay in the team. We will be having a meeting with his agent soon in order to come to an amicable agreement. The manager thinks he's going to be a fundamental player this season”.

How many players do you want in the team?: “We have done all our homework and in great detail. We would like to have a squad of 23 players. The Second Division is a long one and we want to have options in case there are any situations that occur, or if we need a reinforcement we want players ready cover them”.

Dani Pacheco: “He is a player that interests the Club. The technical Secretariat has many reports on him. We are in talks with his representatives to see if we can come to some agreement. We believe that it is possible. He is an attractive player but to date we have nothing signed with him”.

Joaquín Sánchez: “He still has two years left on his contract with Fiorentina. His current salary is beyond what we could pay as a club. Without a doubt he's an icon amongst the Betis fans, and name that would excite the supporters. We haven't spoken to him about any of these options. Given what he has done for this Club he has an interesting player. We shall see in the future but for the moment we haven't spoken with him or his agent”.

What would Dani Pacheco bring to Betis if he were signed?: “He would be great anywhere. He played a spectacular second round. He is a young lad and very astute. He's very humble. He is the best there is in the Second Division. He has the potential to go far beyond that”.

The possibilities of Adán leaving: “He has been very sincere right from the very first meeting we had. He wants to stay with Betis and see the team back in the First Division”.

Are you looking for a centre half like N’Diaye?: “We are not going to discover N’Diaye's qualities. Here is another player who would be important and build up the hopes of the Betis fans. We have five players in this position. We are very ambitious and we want to find the most balanced squad possible. We are looking for reinforcements in every position so that the squad will offer the best guarantees. N’Diaye has a fantastic skill set that every coach would want in their team. I'm not ruling anything out. With everything that is happening there are possibilities”.

What are the most important reinforcements?: “We want to clear up the situation with our fullbacks. We had a bad result last season in terms of the number of goals we conceded. It wasn't all down to the defenders in the fullbacks. In the defensive line we are reinforcing the wings, we want to reinforce the fullbacks and, when the wing backs are not in possession of the ball we want them to move up and lend a helping hand in the midfield area”.

Apprentices who will participate in the first team's pre-season preparations: “That is an area in which decisions still need to be taken. The youth team should be a pipeline of players for the first team. We shall strive to see the maximum number of players possible move up into the first team”.

Why is Jordi Figueras staying?: “We have had talks with this player. We believe he has shown a very high level in previous seasons. But he hasn't been at the top of his game for a year, but that is no reason to crucify him. He has skill-sets so we should try to get the best performance out of him so that he is one of the players who is contributing with the rest of the team to create the most competitive squad possible”.