New Espanyol owner wants change of ‘mentality’ to solidify club as top 6 in Spain

It's a new era for Espanyol. American businessman Alan Pace was presented as president and new owner of the Catalan club on Tuesday, and detailed his ambitions to change the club's "mentality" and ultimately solidify their place as one of the top six clubs in Spain. 

"Mentality" was a word repeated often in Pace's first press conference as Espanyol chief, and he wants to instill the belief in his players to know they are equal to anyone they take on. 

Pace took questions from dozens of journalists gathered in the club's Juan Segura Palomares Auditorium, located in the RCDE Stadium, for over an hour and a half, insisting on taking and answering every question in Spanish rather than using a translator, despite the fact that he regards his grasp of the language as "horrible."

The American also apologized for not being able to do the questions in Catalan, but the efforts to ingrain himself into the local community will no doubt be a welcome for perico fans, who in Pace have a new owner who has close "family" ties to Catalonia, having lived in Barcelona while studying in the years building up to the 1992 Olympics. 

There, Pace forged strong bonds with friends whom he now regards as "family," and repeatedly said it was a "dream" of his to have a "honeymoon return" to the shores of the Mediterranean.

"We haven't come here to change Espanyol, but rather to honor the club and help it grow," Pace outlined.

Central to his plans will be a focus on the club's academy, which he says will receive investment, although he has not yet had a chance to analyze the club's facilities and offer specifics of how he will grow the perico youth setup. 

He also said that the women's team was "very important" to him, and pointed to the fact that he has three daughters and women's football is popular in his household. However, the businessman also reminded the world that his arrival at Espanyol was still recent and the exact plans have not yet been drawn up. 

Dreams

For Pace, growing "doesn't mean only money." He acknowledged there will be a part of investing money, but that sustainable growth will require "knowledge" of both the sporting and business world, which he hopes to bring to the club. "My dreams are big."

The new president was also asked about ways to grow while sitting in the shadow of a giant of global football, and Pace made the point that FC Barcelona has grown so much, mainly thanks to the arrival of tourists coming to watch them. "Tourists want to see the highest quality football they can. There's a chance that some could come and get to know us and visit us too."

But first, "they have to know we’re here. There are things we can do to grow within the city first. It’s not only for the way we play, players, but I believe there are many ways we can introduce this club to the world."

Burnley FC

He said the fans are "very important" to him, and pointed at his experience at Burnley FC in the English Premier League, the "sister" club he is also the owner of. "Every game I’m at Burnley speaking to fans with no security, I think it’s very necessary to be close to fans."

The head of the ALK investment fund assures Espanyol and Burnley will not be the same, but rather they will be part of a "family" that can "learn" things from one another. Pace also cited his will to create "synergies" among the group. 

For the moment, Pace is content with his multi-club group remaining at only Burnley and Espanyol, although he admitted his ambition was to eventually grow further, "but it won’t be for some years yet."

Questioned what message he has to any fans who may have lost faith in the club, Pace urged them to consider the "family" dynamic once more and offered a message of hope: "There are highs and lows, there are good days and bad days, but there's always a tomorrow."

In five years time, he would like to see the club competing in European competition. "We have to support them so they can do it, everything is possible."