Santiago Gimenez's father, Christian 'Chaco' Gimenez, has spoken out again. He did so in an interview with FOX after his son's move from Milan to Porto was officially confirmed on loan, with an option to buy that will become mandatory if certain conditions are met. His comments shed light on how the negotiations unfolded and what would have happened to the Mexican striker had he failed to find a new club before the transfer deadline.
Christian ‘Chaco’ Gimenez commented on his son Santiago's loan move to Porto:
"This negotiation went on for quite a while and fortunately, it ended well. It took longer than expected. We had already been talking to Porto for 20 days, as they were one of the first clubs to come forward. There were then decisions made by Milan regarding Santi, according to which, if he had not found a new club, he would have spent six months without playing. This was making him increasingly desperate, and as the time available in the transfer window diminished, the situation became more complicated."
Gimenez’s father continued by explaining the reasons behind the decision to choose Porto:
"Santi is a very thoughtful young man. We look not only at the names of the clubs, but also at the coach, how the team plays, what attacking variations they have, what they can create, whether they play in the Champions League and how they play. There are so many factors that influence the decision to move to another club and, in reality, we simply took things as they came. We thought Milan would be a great opportunity because, apart from the fact that Santi grew up watching Milan, when he arrived at Milan, he forgot about the other clubs and we left for Milan. The truth is that, for me, Porto is a good step forward because it is a team that will compete in its domestic league, fight for the title, play in the Champions League and, to be honest, has a really strong squad."
He then discussed Santiago Gimenez's final months at Milan:
"When he played, he made nine appearances, but in those nine games he continued playing despite the injury and did not want to stop because he was a starter. Santi does not take any medication; he was even taking Dosul (an antidepressant.) just so he could play, because they had no other options and the other strikers were injured. There are things that perhaps the world does not know, but I do. As for his performances, perhaps he did not do well or was not productive enough. In the first nine games he played before the injury, he was actually a starter. When he returned from injury, the team suffered a huge collapse, going from first place to fifth. It is part of the growth process; it is not the end of the world. He is 25 years old, has scored 99 goals in his career and has found the net eight times and provided two assists in 12 Champions League appearances.”
