This week, Pace gave another interview, this time to Catalan daily Mundo Deportivo. When asked what can Espanyol do better in the next five years to become a top-six club, the business tycoon said, "At this point, I don't know. Consistency? I don't know how we'll get there, so it's a little difficult to come and say, we have to improve this. I'd be an idiot. I know there are things happening right now that are the way the players work together, the way Manolo [Gonzalez] has brought them to that mentality. I don't know if there are many things that need to change.
"But for that consistency, in the long term, over 10 years, there are things that do need to change. Maybe not right now, because I think there are eight youth players in the team; that doesn't have to change. I would like to always have that, to always have eight or ten youth players in the first team. That means it's working well.
"The team is used to bringing players from the bottom up; there are things where perhaps we need to sprinkle a little pixie dust; maybe there are some opportunities in the market, some opportunities from other countries. I don't know, but I know there is something we can do; I don't know when exactly. I know that sporting director Fran [Garagarza], Manolo and the captains are going to tell us what we have to do."
He added: "I always think without limits. If I said we could be at the same level as our peers, it would be very difficult, and I'd get a lot of hate, but that's what I think. If not, I wouldn't be here. I come from California, I was a kid with much less than I have now, and if I don't think the sky's the limit, why not? I think we can do almost the same, but it would take 20-30 years, I don't know. But I've seen what happened to Manchester City and Manchester United, so why can't it happen here?"
