Girona manager opens the exit door for frustrated star – ‘He doesn’t want to play here’

Girona were already in something of a crisis by the end of the transfer window this summer, following multiple heavy defeats in he opening three games of the season. As such, the Catalan side invested in the closing stages of the window, bringing in Azzedine Ounahi, Vladyslav Vanat and Dominik Livakovic.

The latter in particular came as a surprise on deadline day. The Croatian goalkeeper had been plying his trade at Fenerbahce, but was not starting, and arrived on loan to compete for the number one spot with Paulo Gazzaniga.

Livakovic ‘doesn’t want to be here’ – Michel Sanchez

Manager Michel Sanchez surprised on Thursday, when he publicly declared to MD that he would be moving on from Girona.

“I’ve never hidden from anything, I’ve seen things and they are not technical decisions. He is ready in his mind, but not to compete. He has told me that he doesn’t want to be here, and he wants to play for a different team. The timelines of Girona and Livakovic do not match up, he wants to play the World Cup, not for Girona.”

“Livakovic doesn’t want to play any more, and we’ll have to find a solution in the winter transfer market, because I only have one goalkeeper available, Gazzaniga had to play the Copa with a high fever. Before it was a problem, but he’s said it all to our face, and now it’s not. He’s a wonderful person, but the commitment of Paulo over the last three years has been unquestionable.”

Eric: "We miss Araújo, as a player and person. He's a very dear person. We wait for him with open arms."

— barcacentre (@barcacentre) December 11, 2025

Goalkeeping issues for Michel and Girona

Michel’s words do make some sense of Gazzaniga retaining the starting spot at Girona. The Argentine has made several high-profile errors this season, and was directly at fault for two of Elche’s goals in a 3-0 defeat last week. With Livakovic, an established international for Croatia who has played in a World Cup semi-final, Michel’s decision was confusing many.

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