Coudet swears on his kids' lives he hasn't spoken to River Plate — but the rumours won't die
Alavés boss Eduardo Coudet came out swinging at his pre-match presser, flatly denying any contact with River Plate amid swirling links to the Buenos Aires giants.
Eduardo Coudet had a game against Levante to prepare for, but nobody in the room was particularly bothered about that. The Alavés manager faced the media on Thursday with one thing on everyone’s mind: is he off to River Plate?
The denial — and it was a big one
Coudet did not mess about. He went full nuclear on the rumours coming out of Argentina, which had suggested he’d already agreed terms with River following Marcelo Gallardo’s shock resignation.
“I swear on my four children that nobody from River has contacted me or my representatives.”
That’s about as emphatic as it gets, to be fair. He wasn’t hedging, he wasn’t doing the classic manager non-answer — he was proper adamant. Said he knew the club and its board well enough to be confident they wouldn’t have gone behind anyone’s back either.
The ‘but’ that everyone clocked
Here’s where it gets interesting, though. While Coudet was crystal clear that no contact had been made, he was noticeably warmer when it came to the idea of River as a club.
He acknowledged the noise, called it a “normal situation” when your name gets linked to a club of that stature, and compared River’s standing in world football to Real Madrid and Barcelona. He said it was a source of pride to even be mentioned as a candidate. Which, look, is completely understandable — the bloke played for them twice as a player.
But when reporters pushed him on whether he’d actually consider leaving Alavés if a concrete offer landed on his desk? He went all coy. “The hypothetical doesn’t exist” was roughly his answer. Not exactly a ringing endorsement of his future in Vitoria-Gasteiz, is it.
What this means for Alavés
This is a right headache for the Basque club, and the timing couldn’t be worse:
- Alavés are deep in a relegation scrap and need stability at the back end of the season
- Losing your manager with a third of the campaign still to go would be a proper nightmare
- The club would reportedly be entitled to compensation if Coudet walks, so River would have to put their hand in their pocket
- Alavés would then need to scramble for a replacement — not ideal when you’re fighting for your top-flight life
Friday’s match takes on extra significance
Reports from Argentina have been suggesting that the trip to the Ciutat de Valencia to face Levante could be Coudet’s last in charge. Whether that’s speculation or something more concrete, nobody outside the inner circle really knows.
What’s certain is that Coudet will be in the dugout on Friday — he confirmed as much. Everything after that? Anyone’s guess. The uncertainty hanging over Mendizorroza right now is the last thing a relegation-threatened side needs, and until something definitive happens one way or the other, this story’s got legs.