Andy Bara: “There were offers for Grbic that were double that of Atlético”

Ivo Grbic played his first official match with Atlético in the Cup, how did you see Ivo and how did he value his debut?

Grbic was very happy and all of us who are with him, too. It is an important step, for this he has come to Atlético, made his debut in the Cup and did not have much work, but over time they will see that they can count on him at any time.

You know him very well, what are his best qualities?

He is a humble and hardworking young boy, who lives for football at all times. He is a quiet boy, who is always watching football. He really wants to continue learning, I think that is very important. In addition, it does not get complicated, everything it does does it in a simple way. His obsession is to do exactly what they ask him to do.

How was your signing for Atlético?

Atlético have been following him for a while, I think about six months or so. They had chosen him the best goalkeeper in the Croatian league. Ivo had offers from Germany, Italy and England on the table. There were big clubs from Germany and England, but the Spanish league also made him decide to come here. For money, those offers were superior to those of Atlético de Madrid, but when the call came we saw that Andrea Berta did an enormous job and Grbic has opted for Atlético for that sporting offer that he presented. Because coming to Atlético is to come to one of the best teams in the world. Regarding the transfer, Berta has done an incredible job because Lokomotiva had very important offers for the boy, they were offers that were almost double that of Atlético. But this club is one of the best in the world, with one of the best stadiums in the world.

When Atlético called you to inquire about Grbic, did you immediately tell the player or did you prefer to wait for him to continue concentrating on his work with Lokomotiva?

When we met Atlético’s interest, I told the boy because he is a very humble and very calm boy, he does not go crazy with things. He said perfect, that he would love that possibility because it would be a dream, but that we had to wait for the Croatian league to finish so that it ended well, calmly, and that he did not have any injuries so that Atlético would not change their mind. But he was very serene, you could talk about all the teams there were, there was no problem in that sense. It is very mature.

It is striking that Grbic chose Atlético because here is Oblak, who plays almost every game. For many Oblak is the best in the world right now. Why, despite Jan being in the team, Ivo preferred to come?

Grbic knew that he came where the best goalkeeper in the world is, but he also knew that they have the best coaches in the world to train goalkeepers. That is another detail. Ivo knew that Atlético has some of the best coaches in the world and one of the best goalkeeping coaches in the world, because they have produced some of the best in recent years. This is where De Gea, Courtois, Oblak came from … He wants to learn from the coaches and from Oblak. Ivo knows that in football, nowhere can you be guaranteed to play safe. It is normal. It will be difficult for him, he knows, but he is very happy to have a few minutes in the Cup. You never know what the future will bring. He knows that he will have his chance and that his time will come, but he is very happy to learn from the best in the world.

After the debut, Ivo explained that Oblak was the first to call him to congratulate him. How is the relationship between Ivo and Jan? Is it important for Ivo to have Oblak as a partner?

Grbic has told me that the help he is getting from Oblak is amazing. They are very close friends and he is very happy to have him around and work by his side.

How did Grbic start in football? Do you remember the first time you saw him play and what caught your attention about him?

He started at Hajduk, a great from Croatia. His father was the president of the club at the time when I was there. For that reason, Ivo decided to go to Lokomotiva, so that no one would say that he was the first goalkeeper of Hajduk because his father was the president. That is a nice touch. He came to Lokomotiva very young. When I saw him, it caught my attention that he was a goalkeeper of almost two meters with great agility and coordination, that he moved very well and that no fear was observed. He scouter He quickly told me that I had to sign it and we did. It was very simple.

How far can Grbic go in football?

That is never known. Nobody knows it in football. Hopefully one day I can become Atlético’s first goalkeeper, if Oblak comes out at some point. I do not know what plans are in the team, I neither know nor enter. But, of course, it would be a dream for him to one day be Atlético’s first goalkeeper. Of the rest, there is no more. If you become Atlético de Madrid’s first goalkeeper, you’ve already done what you had to do in football. I repeat, we are talking about some of the best clubs in the world.

You, along with your partner Juanma López, are also Dani Olmo’s agent. How is Dani Olmo’s experience in Germany?

Juanma is my partner, yes, but there is also Dani’s father, Miguel Olmo, who has other issues at the agency. He was a good coach, but we talked to him to help us with things that he knows better than we do. We are a group. Dani is very happy at the moment. He had many options in the summer to choose teams around the world, but he stayed with Leipzig because he has always followed a different path from others. Like going to Dinamo Zagreb, for example. He had several offers, but he chose the one from Red Bull.

When Dani Olmo played for Dinamo Zagreb there were many rumors about the interest of teams such as Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona or Villarreal. Was Dani Olmo close to signing for a Spanish team?

Yes, it is true that I had offers. Barcelona was also there, but the issue of the Leipzig coach (Nagelsmann) made him decide on that option. Nagelsmann called him, the sports director called him … They’ve both done an enormous job bringing him. They have really shown him that they loved him and Dani has gone where he felt most loved. But it must also be said that Leipzig has paid for one of the most expensive transfers in its history. They have invested a lot of money in Dani and that must be taken into account. They were willing to pay more than others and Dinamo also preferred to let Leipzig go.

Why is Leipzig a special club?

Dani also liked the bet they make on very young players. They get there and in their first year they reach the semifinals of the Champions League … Now they have overcome a very difficult group, leaving Manchester United out … Dani has chosen very well with Leipzig. In addition, he is going with the absolute national team and that is happening because he is playing in Germany, one of the best leagues in the world and I must say that the most organized. That is good for Dani who is a professional to the thousand by thousand.

Now there are going to be elections in Barcelona and the candidates to preside over Barcelona are interested in Dani Olmo. Can Barcelona be an option in the future for him?

Barcelona is always a good option for any player and it always will be. It is difficult to say no to Barcelona, ​​but we will have to see if there are possibilities and then we will talk. Now it is to speak for speaking does not serve. But if an offer comes from Barcelona, ​​we’ll see. You should also talk to Red Bull. See if he would be willing to sell you, for how much and how. Dani is the most important player there and it is not easy to get him out of there.

What is the ceiling of Dani Olmo?

For me he has a chance of winning the Ballon d’Or because he has no limit to his progress. When you get to a top team, like Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid, Manchester, Juventus, Bayern … There you will have the doors open to achieve the maximum, because every day it evolves and is better. Now he is very good, but if you see him, every day is better. It does not stagnate, it grows in each game. I see him going very far in football.