Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto renews Nikola Milos's contract

Croatian coach Nikola Milos and Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto have reached an agreement to renew his contract for the next two seasons

Following their survival in the Bauhaus Asobal League, Fertiberia BM Puerto have begun planning for the 2016–2017 season. Naturally, they have started with the cornerstone of every sporting project: the coach. In this case, there was little doubt that Nikola Milos, the coach who changed the Valencians' fortunes and results after a poor first half of the league season, was the first choice.

The figures from Nikola Milos's return to Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto leave little room for doubt. Behind the club's survival and its current 19 points, with three matches remaining (the points earned against the defunct Aragón must always be deducted), 13 bear the Croatian coach's signature. Six victories and one draw; only Barcelona, Naturhouse, Granollers and León—the league's top four—have proved too strong for this Fertiberia Puerto Sagunto side, which rose from the ashes under the guidance of this veteran Croatian wolf, who knew how to unlock a squad that, amid injuries, doubts and motivation problems, had sunk to the depths of the table by the end of the first half of the season.

These figures mean that, with three matches remaining, Fertiberia are currently the sixth-best team in the second half of the season, surpassed only by Barcelona, Naturhouse, León, Granollers and Anaitasuna. As Fertiberia's Vice-President of Communications, Carlos Argente, says, “This extraordinary second half of the season has figures that are closer to European competition than to the fight for survival.”

Another aspect considered by the board when offering Milos a new contract was how well he fits into the dressing room: “especially among the home-grown players, who are delighted, and this has been reflected in their performances,” says Argente. This is far from trivial at a club with such a distinctive squad structure, where the motivation and performance of non-professional players is the cornerstone—and the most consistent element over time—of the sporting make-up of a team that, because of its budget limitations, has to reinvent its professional ranks season after season.

The veteran Croatian coach says “I am very happy in Puerto de Sagunto; both my wife and I are delighted to remain at this club and in this city. We have not finished this season's work—we have to win the three matches we have left—but we can now begin to think calmly about the next one.”

President Juanjo Bataller expressed a similar view: “We are very pleased to be able to continue working with Milos. He has done very well and we reached an agreement quickly.” Regarding the composition of the squad, he says “We need to remain calm. The first thing is to meet with the coach and define a strategy.”

Translation produced using artificial intelligence.