CHICAGO | After the announced departure of Djordje Mihailovic earlier this week, we are entitled to the return of Nacho Piatti to CF Montreal.
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The legendary midfielder is coming home as a scout in Argentina and South America. It will also allow the club to benefit from its European network.
“It’s my house, I wanted to help the club,” he said on Friday morning. I just want to do this, I’m not an agent. And it allows me to stay in touch with Montreal and to be close to the city and the fans.
“I’m happy because you know how I feel here [à Montréal]. I’m in Argentina and I can be a club contact there so for me it’s wonderful.
So it wasn’t just fine words when Piatti said he felt at home in Montreal.
Quick Conclusion
The idea of giving back to the team by contributing on a sporting level came from Piatti, who had been maturing his project for a long time.
“It was an idea I had while I was here. I wanted to stay in touch with the club. I couldn’t come before because I didn’t have a visa.”
He arrived in town last week, partly to take part in the alumni game against the media, but with the intention of presenting his vision to the management of the club.
“I spoke with Joey [Saputo]Gabriel [Gervais] and oliver [Renard] to tell them what I had in mind and they immediately said yes.”
Evolving
Present at the press briefing on Friday, President Gabriel Gervais intends to use Piatti’s contacts and develop this relationship.
“We are going to start little by little. We spent a lot of time together and it was important that Nacho understood our project. He spent a lot of time with Olivier, among others. »
The idea is first to cover the Argentine territory, but Piatti recognizes that he is spoiled for choice in Latin America.
“I’ll start with Argentina because it’s a lot. And that I know everything there, but Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador and Colombia, there are a lot of players in South America.
Everybody wants to come
Nacho Piatti had his ears pulled a little before coming to Montreal a few years ago. Nick De Santis must have been insistent.
“He came to Argentina in 2013 to speak with me because I didn’t know the place, I wanted to stay at home. He came back in 2014 and insisted. I will always thank him because I got to know the city and the club and it was the best decision to come here. »
The Argentinian doesn’t think he will have to work so hard to convince his young compatriots.
“In Argentina, everyone knows Montreal and the club probably because of me and the other Argentinians who came here. And they want to come to MLS before they go somewhere else. »
A brick
Gabriel Gervais has been working to rebuild bridges with the club’s alumni since his arrival last spring. The return of Piatti is one more brick in the building.
“It’s a big brick that we put in the house. It’s part of the idea of bringing history and old people back so they feel at home. Nacho knows our values, the league and MLS. I think we have a length to go and pick up young players. »
Gervais therefore wants to involve the alumni in various spheres of activity. There was even talk of Didier Drogba to recruit in Africa.
“I am very open, indicated Gervais in this regard. If we can rely on former players to be our eyes in different countries, that’s important.