With the conclusion of Levante UD's preseason, coach Luís Castro has shared his thoughts on this summer preparation period ahead of the competition's start, scheduled for next weekend.

The coach reflected on the impressions the team has left him after this preseason phase. Castro assures that they are "good." "At the beginning, you don't have all the players; they come little by little. It's normal, especially in a World Cup year when the market starts moving later. In the last games, we haven't been bad, the team already has some concepts of what we want, and now we are working on smaller details. It's good to do this now before the season starts," he commented.

The new signings, in their first days as Levante players, have highlighted the warm welcome they received from the Granota locker room. In this regard, the coach acknowledges that "we are a very family-oriented club, and when we sign players, we always try to ensure they are good people and have a good character for the club we have." For this reason, he states that "it is very easy to work with this group, and that gives you a big advantage when you're fighting for tough goals."

Luís Castro also emphasized the willingness of the new players to wear the Levante jersey. "It is very important for us that when we sign a player, they are eager to come. If there is any player who seems hesitant, we tell them not to come. Those who are here came one hundred percent committed; they wanted to come, and that is very important to us," he noted. 

The team has also been bolstered by young players from the Granota Academy. For the coach, these players bring "quality" because "they are prepared, they are well-trained." "The academy works very well. We don't have the same resources as other clubs to go looking for players elsewhere, but the potential of those who are here is very good. We already saw it last year with some who played and were important in achieving what we needed to do, and I think this year we will have one or two surprises, which is very good for us," he explained.

And speaking of the Granota Academy, one name has stood out this summer: Carlos Espí. The coach expressed his happiness for the start of Espí's new chapter at Real Madrid. "We knew he was going to leave, sooner or later. We are very happy because he is going to an important club where we know he can contribute important things to a club like Real Madrid. He is still growing. When you look at the months he has been playing and what he has done, it is incredible. He has been playing regularly for three or four months, but we are all very happy for him," he admitted. For Luís Castro, the case of the Valencian forward "is a demonstration to all the kids who play football that this is a place where they can come, and if they work hard, they can leave through the front door."

LALIGA will kick off next weekend, and looking ahead to the league competition, the coach is clear about the traits he wants his team to be identified with: "A combative team that will fight for everything, that wants to try to win every game and plays to win. No matter who they play against or where they play, it is a team that will have an identity of wanting to win. We know we are a team that will also suffer, but I believe that the team must have the identity of the club. Not being afraid of anyone, and when we have to suffer, we suffer together."

Finally, Luís Castro also referred to the possibility of playing with 12 players thanks to the support of the fans. The coach only asks "that they continue the same. If they can do even better, great, but I think it's hard to do better. We have seen games that we have won because the fans were with us in difficult moments, and we played with an extra player."