Pep Lluís Martí has returned to the club, this time as manager of RCD Mallorca B.

Our new academy head coach says he is “very happy and proud” to be back, highlights the club’s growth in recent years and states that he wants to build an ambitious, intense and competitive team with the aim of going “as far as possible” this season.

Find out what he had to say below in his first club media interview ahead of the new season. 

You’re back in Mallorca after having been a player. How do you feel?

“Very happy. When the club of your life calls you to get involved and, above all, to develop players. I’m very happy and very proud to be able to take on this role, which is sure to be very rewarding for me.”

Have you noticed many changes since the time you left?

“Yes, obviously. The club has grown enormously in terms of infrastructure and facilities… It has improved dramatically and I think things are being done very well. The methodology team is also doing a great job in developing players, and I think it would have been very important in our day to have had what these lads have today.”

How have these first few days gone with the team?

“Very well, very exciting – I’m really looking forward to being back on the pitch and also in the office. We don’t always enjoy being in the office as much, but it’s true that being out on the pitch with the players, experiencing football from the inside again and, above all, meeting players who are raring to go and fully committed to every training session, makes me very happy.”

What are you hoping for this season? What sort of RCD Mallorca B do you want to see?

“What we want is to be ambitious and not set any limits on where we finish in the table. But we’re very clear that our aim is to try and get the players into the first team; that would be our main objective. And, as far as the squad and the league table are concerned, to go as far as possible.”

What are the keys to having a good season in this division, the Segunda RFEF?

“I think we need to be very ambitious, play with great intensity, form a very close-knit squad, have a clear plan and, above all, compete. The Segunda RFEF is a division for competition and I believe that, in that respect, I can teach the players a lot about how to compete right up to the very limit allowed by the rules.”

Is there direct contact with Luis García for all the reserve-team players who have been promoted or who may be promoted?

‘Yes. What’s more, Luis is brilliant, not just as a coach – as you’ll see – but also as a person. He’s very approachable; we’ve been lucky enough to work together for many years and I’m really pleased he’s here.’