He told AS: "I had been with Valencia for a long time; three summers in which it seemed that I was leaving and then I was staying. The time had come to close a six-year stage, which I describe as very positive. And in that context appeared Leeds, the Premier… and the challenge of working with a coach like Marcelo Bielsa. That caught me a lot.
"The Premier is very attractive for its sporting and economic potential. Also, Leeds is a landmark. In terms of structure and infrastructure, it is an elite club at the level of others in which I have been (Benfica or Valencia). In addition to what I was telling you, my decision was influenced by the project they presented to me. Leeds approached the promotion like a new cycle.
"They were six very intense years in Valencia. For me and for all of us who live them. We had very good years and very bad years. I think I had nine coaches, six sports directors, three presidents… I needed to change and the club also wanted to enter a new stage. Many of us left that we had been there for a long time… and that's how it all happened.
"I needed a change of airs, in Valencia it was six very intense years, and the Leeds appeared; with a project, with the Premier, with Bielsa..."