Álvaro Negredo’s Complicated Tenure at Valencia

Álvaro Negredo joined Valencia in the summer of 2014, backed by coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who proclaimed, “A striker is coming who will be a sensation.” Valencia paid 28 million euros to Manchester City during a period of extravagant signings under owner Peter Lim, who was already managing the club before officially acquiring a majority stake. In his first season, Negredo was not a central figure in a Valencia side that performed remarkably well in La Liga, finishing fourth with 75 points. However, the second season began with high hopes as the team qualified for the Champions League, bolstered by a spectacular goal from Negredo in the qualifying match against Monaco. Yet, the league campaign did not start well; the team struggled to find its rhythm, and the Vallecano forward had managed to score only one additional goal against Deportivo.

In a podcast interview with Offsiders, Negredo reflected on his tumultuous relationship with Nuno Espirito Santo, particularly following a controversial interview published in MARCA. The headline from that interview hit the Portuguese coach hard: “There was an international break… I was asked about the lack of goals from Valencia’s strikers, and I commented that we might be scoring fewer because we were playing too deep, making it harder to reach the goal. For some reason, that marked me as a target for Nuno,” Negredo recalled vividly.

In the MARCA interview, when asked about his performance, it was noted through heat maps that he was playing far from the goal. This sentiment was echoed in both the print and digital versions of the article.

The interview spread across various media outlets, as Nuno’s notoriously volatile temperament was becoming increasingly scrutinized due to poor results. Negredo recounted the aftermath: “That week, I trained normally… I knew I wouldn’t start, but I thought I would at least be on the bench. As I was changing and wrapping my ankles, the assistant coach Rui Silva told me: ‘No, you won’t change, you’re resting today.’ I responded, ‘I’ve been resting all week.’

Nuno was questioned about the MARCA interview in the press conference leading up to the match against Málaga. He mentioned that the team was playing less directly but provided little further insight. Negredo did not feature in that game or any subsequent matches.

“He put me in such a position that I didn’t play again until he left the club; I wasn’t even summoned,” Negredo recalled.

He added, “During a press conference, he told journalists that anyone who didn’t want to be there could leave. I approached him one day and said I wanted to speak in front of my teammates. He insisted on a private conversation, but I refused, stating that he had spoken publicly and I wanted to address it publicly as well. He declined, insisting it had to be in private. I retorted that a private meeting wouldn’t help because I wouldn’t even get through the door. I never spoke to him again.”

During his time away from match play due to technical decisions, Negredo underwent surgery for appendicitis, just two weeks before the club parted ways with the Portuguese coach, a departure framed as mutual agreement. Negredo did not play again until December 9, when Gary Neville took over as manager. By the end of that season, he had appeared in 40 matches, scoring 12 goals and providing one assist.