Mikel Alvaro Salazar: "I'm confident we can provide Qarabag with a great player" - Interview

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7 March 2025 17:09
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Mikel Alvaro Salazar: "I'm confident we can provide Qarabag with a great player" - Interview

Mikel Alvaro Salazar, a former footballer who lived in Azerbaijan and is now working as a football agent, spoke about his current work with players, including those who have played in Azerbaijan’s Premier League.

In an interview with Sportal.az, the former midfielder of Inter (now Shamakhi) discussed his collaboration with Azerbaijani clubs and his experiences working with players from different backgrounds, Idman.biz reports.

- You are working with Azerbaijani clubs. Are they interested in Spanish players, and is it easy to collaborate with them?

- It's not always easy to find players that Azerbaijani clubs are interested in. However, many Spanish players have performed at a very high level in Azerbaijan. There are a lot of talented players in Spain's lower leagues, and I’m sure they could play at a high level in Azerbaijan’s Premier League. I know the Azerbaijani league very well.

- So you follow the Premier League regularly. What do you think of the competition now? Is it stronger compared to your time?

- Of course, I closely follow the Azerbaijan Premier League. I work with Jon Irazabal at Sabah and Gorka Larrocha at Sabail, and I watch all their games. I also follow teams like Neftchi, Qarabag, Zira, Araz-Nakhchivan, and Sumgayit, as I know the players and coaches there. The league was strong when I was there, but I believe Qarabag is currently one step ahead and proves this every year in international competitions.

- Are you currently working with Qarabag?

- No, I’m not collaborating with Qarabag at the moment, and I haven’t signed a contract with them. But I’m confident that in the future, we will do some deals with them and provide good players for the team.

- Can we say that Spanish players have done well in Azerbaijan's Premier League?

- Yes, I think Spanish players have shown very well in the Premier League. During my time there, we had players like Mario Abrante and Alberto Noguera. After that, Qarabag had Miguel and Dani Quintana, and currently, Sabah has Jon Irazabal, Turan-Tovuz has Alex Serrano, and Sabail has Gorka Larrocha. Spanish players bring quality with the ball, are very dedicated to their work, and adapt quickly to how football is played in Azerbaijan. Therefore, I believe that clubs would make the right decision to strengthen their squads with more Spanish players. Of course, this doesn't always result in success, but those who have succeeded in Azerbaijan outnumber those who haven’t.

- Kakhaber Tskhadadze, your former coach at Inter, now coaches Gabala, which is close to returning to the Premier League next season. Do you have any plans to collaborate with him?

- Yes, I’m following Gabala, and I know they’re having an excellent season. They are very close to returning to the Premier League, and I’m very happy about that. Besides Kakhaber, there’s also Miloš (fitness coach), and I’ve been teammates with Salahat Agayev and Asif Mammadov at Inter. I also have a good relationship with Sabuhi Safiyarli, the club’s sporting director. If Gabala officially secures promotion to the Premier League, I’m sure we’ll talk about strengthening the team with players.

- Are you satisfied with the performances of Jon Irazabal and Gorka Larrocha in Azerbaijan?

- I think Irazabal has had a very good three seasons there. Gorka also played very well at Sabail. Both have been beneficial to their teams.

Idman.biz