George Ilenikhena, the transfer window, the stakes of the season… Thiago Scuro’s press conference
“Hello everyone. We are very happy to be here today to introduce George, as a new player of AS Monaco. Welcome George!” These were the first words of Thiago Scuro this Tuesday morning, to introduce George Ilenikhena to the press at the Performance Center. It was a first moment with the media for the Monégasques’ new number 21, who spoke before an informal chat with the Club’s CEO. 🎙️
The choice to recruit George Ilenikhena
As you know, our philosophy is to invest in young players with high potential, with the aim of developing them. We have followed George’s progress over the last two years, whether in Ligue 2 in France or last year in the Belgian top flight.
We are therefore very happy that he has chosen AS Monaco to continue his development. His is a very intersting profile, he has a very good mentality and above all great ambition, like us.
About his profile
There is often the temptation to compare players, when you replace one in the same position. We must respect what Wissam Ben Yedder did at Monaco, but they are two very different players.
Today, we want to see the best version of George emerge with AS Monaco, and for him to be successful with the Club. We already have two very high-quality players in this position, with Folarin Balogun and Breel Embolo, who will be able to support him in his development.
Midfield needs
We are looking for players who are sufficiently experienced, even if we also believe in the young talents that the Club can bring to the highest level. This is AS Monaco’s project. Regarding the midfield, we are looking for an aggressive player, who can get forward, but who also has a good state of mind. We are working on different profiles, even if we already have a very good squad at our disposal.
In any case, he will really have to bring something extra to the team. The goal is not to sign players just to pile them up, because we also believe a lot in our Academy. That is why we are very careful to recruit only according to our needs.
On his recruiting method
There is no player sought by AS Monaco who is not subject to a long process on our part, before reaching the signing. Each profile must be observed by our scouting network, with supervision of many matches, and a study of the player’s physical and mental profile. Adi Hütter also gives his opinion. Age is not necessarily a criterion.
Above all, we want players who have the ambition to win, like us. Many people work for that, under the direction of Carlos Aviña. We have discussions among ourselves, including with the President who is part of the final discussions. Our job is to propose the best profiles for the Club.
About the positions that are being targeted
We work in the sectors where we believe we have needs. We are ready to respond to the possibilities of the market, and are confident that we will be able to sign one or two players in the coming days.
The fact is that we have to start the season very strong, and for that we still have friendlies to prepare ourselves. We want to provide solutions to our coach Adi Hütter. But I repeat, we want players with a good state of mind!
About the Centenary
The President is very committed, he knows that it is a special moment for the Club, strong from what we built last season by returning to the Champions League. The Centenary season will be a special moment for everyone. My job is to build success on the pitch and add value to the Club. This is what I have tried to do since I arrived.
On the identity of the captain
Adi will soon decide who will wear the armband this season. What is certain is that last season we had a group of captains to represent the locker room and participate in making certain decisions, and we want to keep this principle.
On the Olympic games
I can confirm that the AS Monaco players concerned will return directly after their participation in the Olympics. This was part of our conditions for letting them compete in this competition. We hope they go far and are successful at the Games, but as soon as they are eliminated, they will return to the Club.
