ÁLEX QUINTANILLA: «WE WILL MAKE THIS PROJECT GROW BY BEING AMBITIOUS AND HUMBLE AT THE SAME TIME»

Álex Quintanilla is a Sky Blue. Today he trained with his new teammates for the first time under the watchful eye of a manager he knows very well. Pablo Alfaro, however, is not the only familiar face the Basque defender has encountered since his arrival on the island. «Fernando Soriano is the sporting director, and he was my coach at Almería; the gaffer here was my coach at Mirandés; then there's my teammate Javi Lara [who was at Cordoba with Quintanilla]… I'm very happy to have signed for Ibiza», explained Quintanilla during his official unveiling shortly after finishing his first training session.

Fernando Soriano knows that by signing the 29 year old defender, Ibiza has added a player of quality and grit to its squad: «He is a player of Second Division A pedigree having played for Córdoba, Mirandés and Almería. Álex can play in either of the central defending positions and even as a right-back".

Signing Quintanilla has increased the level of competition in Ibiza's central defence, with many players fighting to secure a starting eleven status. The Basque defender, however, believes that this is precisely what will help the team in the long-run. «Internal competition is always a positive thing for a team. It forces all of us to lift our game and be on our best level. I consider the squad to be of good quality, there are very good players here who can form a great group and be successful. We have a very important game at home this weekend and we need to build confidence in order to get the best possible result».

Asked about his objectives with Ibiza, the Bilbao born player whose record of 57 matches in Second Division A and 183 in Second Division B make him a very experienced player, referred to the daily work of the squad. The accumulated weeks of competition, according to Quintanilla, will hold the team in good stead as far as the season is concerned: «Second Division B is a very balanced division and often you don't really know what your ultimate objective is until the closing stages of the competition. We want this project to grow by being as ambitious as possible, but also know that we need to maintain a level of humility in doing so».