Javier Aguirre takes over at Valencia, promising wins instead of speeches

There was no need for long speeches or grand promises. A couple of blunt sentences were enough to make clear why he's at Mestalla. Javier Aguirre was unveiled this Monday as the new head coach of Valencia CF, and from the first minute he made it clear he didn't think twice about taking the job.

"You can never say no to Valencia, never," the Mexican coach began in his first remarks alongside Braulio Vázquez, the club's new sporting director. In fact, by his own account, it took him less than five minutes to say yes to the offer.

This is a historic club in LaLiga and in world soccer. The fans are incredible, I've come here before as a visiting coach and it's frightening. Mestalla has to be an intimidating stadiumJavier Aguirre

That respect for the club's history was exactly the argument Aguirre used to explain why he agreed to take over a team that is far from its best right now. Because Valencia's reality is tough: after the first seven matchdays of LaLiga, the team sits second to last in the standings with just one win to its name. Fed up, the fans have long been pointing the finger at the ownership, the company Meriton Holdings Ltd, and at billionaire owner Peter Lim.

Talent, yes, but they have to believe it

Aguirre didn't arrive with a magic wand or empty slogans. He went straight to the diagnosis: the material is there, what's missing is conviction. "There's a lot of individual talent and a great academy. We need to convince them, get them to believe they matter," he explained. He added something that sounds like common sense but has been missing at Mestalla lately: "With the history this club has, you can't lose games you shouldn't lose or wander aimlessly around the field."

Any messages for the fans? None, and he said so bluntly: the supporters "are sick of messages" and all they're asking for are wins. That's how simply the Mexican coach put it, a man nicknamed "the fireman" for his track record of rescuing teams flirting with relegation.

Guardado, Márquez and a recent phone call

The presentation also had its emotional side. Andrés Guardado sent in a welcome video, and the name of Rafael Márquez, the new Mexico national team coach, also came up in the room. Aguirre said he had spoken with him recently, as the two crossed paths in that handoff of responsibilities on the national team bench.

I spoke with Márquez. Rafa knows I'll be there for whatever he needs: a call, an opinion, ... we're in very good handsJavier Aguirre

His arrival didn't happen in isolation. Before he landed, Valencia had already parted ways with Carlos Corberán as head coach, and the club's football CEO, Ron Gourlay, had also departed, which is precisely what opened the door for Braulio Vázquez to step into the sporting director role.

For Aguirre, this will be his seventh stint on a bench in Spain's top flight. He has already coached Osasuna (2002-2006), Atlético de Madrid (2006-2009), Real Zaragoza (2010-2011), Espanyol (2012-2014), Leganés (2019-20) and, most recently, Mallorca (2022-24). Now, with Valencia struggling, he'll try to live up once again to the fireman label that has followed him through much of his career.