Ernesto Valverde is expecting more signings to be made

Ernesto Valverde spoke after his summer away from the media. Here are his key quotes.

Too big a squad: "All teams are hte same at this time. Players come back from loans, B team players step up and we have to decide. We thought that the B team could help us. But I prefer to have a small squad. In terms of the players that could go, we'll see. THis tour is a chance for the players that come back from loan and B teamers."

Malcom. "He's a young player with potential that the club think could help us. If he's a starter or not depends on his performance. For a while I've followed him. There's a chance we'll see him playing against Tottenham."

Midfield reinforcements: "We're open to any possibility and it's clear that in the centre of the pitch we've lost important players in Andres and Paulinho. We have this in our head. It's likely we will make more signings. We'll try to make the squad as competitive as possible. 

Signings that fit the style: "We have a various options that don't just depend on me but also the club and the chances of making their signings. What is important is the style. We want people that move well in the interior positions and can arrive in the box at the right time.

Dembélé: "We hope that this is his season. He has to give us a lot. He's an extraordinary player. Last year was unfortunate for the injury that he had and when he came back he brought us a lot. Malcom? The important thing is that there is competition within the team. There's a lot of games and you can't just take them on with 11 players."

Open Liga" "Madrid, even without Cristiano, will be a candidate to win it all, the same as Atletico Madrid and Valencia."

Five defenders. "Vermaelen or Yerry Mina? We'll see how things go. There's a lot of talk about the defenders, we have to wait and see. What we try to do is have the best defenders and those we have are very good."