The longest meeting of my professional life, and yet not a minute of it felt wasted. Welcome to Chur.

I had been briefed on Iñaki Arriola long before I signed, of course – his reputation travelsfaster than most – but nothing truly prepares you for four uninterrupted hours in a quiet team hotel room, coffee going cold, laptops open, and a manager who wants to pull apart every fibre of his squad until the logic of it all is laid bare. We spoke not in generalities or abstract philosophies, but in specifics: names, numbers, contracts, behavioural patterns, dressing-room dynamics, the silent hierarchies that never appear on an org chart yet dictate everything on a Monday morning. Wages were contextualised against minutes, minutes against agreements, agreements against psychology, and psychology against future resale value; even social groups, those fragile ecosystems that can either stabilise a season or quietly undermine it, were laid out and debated with the seriousness of balance sheets. There was disagreement, certainly, but it was the productive kind – arguments backed by data, experience, and an underlying respect for the fact that both of us are here to protect the same thing.

What emerged from that session was clarity, and clarity is the true currency of this role. Iñaki wants five players added to this squad by January at the latest, not as opportunistic signings but as deliberate structural reinforcements, and he has placed that responsibility squarely on my shoulders with a frankness I appreciate. This is a ruthless industry, he reminded me, but one in which pedigree still matters, and I would not be here if he did not believe I had both the network and the nerve to deliver. I must trust my own judgement now, because hesitation is the fastest way to lose authority in this job.

The first position we dissected was goalkeeper, and here the logic is uncomfortably clear. Nicolas Ammeter has given this club stability and professionalism over a long period, and his reliability cannot be dismissed lightly, but the data from the past two seasons shows agradual physical decline that no amount of loyalty can ignore. Goalkeepers age differently, yes, but they do age nonetheless, and to pretend otherwise is to mortgage the future for the sake of short-term comfort. The plan, as we see it, is to recruit a first-choice goalkeeper in his peak years while working diplomatically to transition Nicolas into a supporting role, one that preserves his dignity and value to the group while allowing the team to evolve without sudden trauma.

The conversation then moved to central defence, and here the emotional weight was heavier. Frank Llumnica’s situation is complex, and complexity is often where sentiment clashes most brutally with strategy. He has been part of the club’s spine for years, a strong personality, a cultural anchor, but repeated breakdowns in negotiations over playing time have left him on the margins, tied to a part-time contract and increasingly detached from the daily rhythm of the group. The decision to remove him as vice-captain in the summer and promote Xabier Iriondo was not merely symbolic; it altered the internal geometry of the dressing room, and Frank’s influence has waned as a result. I find this particularly challenging because players like him rarely fail you through lack of commitment, yet the truth remains that we can no longer give him what he once gave us. If my first major outgoing move involves an influential figure, then so be it – that is the responsibility I have accepted. His replacement, ideally, must be versatile across the back line, tactically literate, and emotionally prepared to operate as part of a rotation rather than a guaranteed starter.

Midfield presented a different problem entirely. With Simon Luchinger departing in the summer, we are not simply losing a deep-lying midfielder but a captain, a reference point, someone whose authority was felt even in silence. Iñaki spoke of succession plans already in place, and I respect the foresight, but I remain cautious about accelerating youth exposure too aggressively in such a sensitive role. We aligned on the need for a more experienced profile here, someone who can absorb responsibility immediately, even if only for a shorter-term horizon, allowing the next generation to mature without being crushed by expectation.

Our most intense disagreement came, perhaps inevitably, in the attacking midfield zone. Andrea Favara is a player I admire in abstract – loyal, intelligent, a positive presence – yet the reality is that his influence on the pitch has diminished, his minutes sporadic, his impact limited. From a squad-building perspective, I question whether we have outgrown him. Iñaki, however, sees value beyond usage, and his belief in what Andrea contributes to the collective fabric of the squad is genuine. We did not resolve this tension entirely, but we reached a functional compromise: we will explore the market. My own intention is to return with a profile capable of starting regularly and elevating the technical ceiling of that role, and I am confident that my knowledge of Spain, particularly in identifying creative tens who understand space and tempo rather than just flair, will be an asset here.

Finally, we turned our eyes to the future of the forward line. Fabrizio Cavegn, at 32, remains important, but time is indifferent to sentiment, and planning must precede decline rather than react to it. Iñaki was unequivocal in his instruction: the striker profile must remain consistent with what we believe in, the same hybrid nature embodied by Huerte, a forward who lives between lines, who can finish but also connect, who is neither a pure nine nor a drifting ten. With promising talent emerging in the youth sides, this recruitment must be precise, not blocking pathways but shaping them.

When the meeting finally ended, I realised that this was not an introduction so much as a baptism. Chur is not a club that tolerates vagueness, and Iñaki is not a manager who delegates without demanding accountability. That suits me perfectly. I leave that room with five clear objectives, a shared vision, and the quiet understanding that every decision from here will echo far beyond a single transfer window.