The war between Marcelino and Mateu Alemany with Peter Lim and Anil Murthy has finally reached its natural conclusion. After winning the Copa del Rey against FC Barcelona last season and securing another year of Champions League football, the coach and director of football wanted more freedom to create the squad they wanted. Two of the names at the top of their shortlist were Rafinha and Denis Suarez. "He's the best coach I've ever had," admitted Denis at the start of the summer as a reunion looked set to materialise.
Marcelino felt both were ideal additions to his project and neither were going to cost Valencia a lot of money either. However, Peter Lim wasn't a fan of either deal and refused to sanction them. Lim felt it was unwise to invest in an injury-prone player such as Rafinha. "The club has told me he won't be coming and my squad is left a little short," is what Marcelino said in response. The owner also negotiated a deal to sell Valencia's star striker to Atletico Madrid without informing Marcelino of what was happening.
Lim wanted the youngster's to be given more of a chance. He saw Ferran Torres and Kang-in Lee as ready-made stars and didn't want to spend money on players who would only push them further down the pecking order. Marcelino, in contrast, was open to loaning the South Korean out for a season in order to aid his development. The signings the coach did ask for such as Rubén Sobrino, Manu Vallejo, Jason Remeseiro and Salva Ruiz all struggled to make an impact, only furthering Lim's belief that he needed to take control of transfers. No one wanted to give in and ultimately the owner made the decision he felt was necessary.