Movistar manager Eusebio Unzué acknowledged that signing Nairo Quintana was surprising but justified the decision, saying the Colombian was in an unfair situation.
The UCI disqualified Quintana from the 2022 Tour de France after dried blood spot testing turned up positive for tramadol. The painkiller was not on WADA's prohibited substance list at the time but was prohibited by the UCI. It will be banned by WADA from 2024, however.
The incident cost Quintana his contract with Arkéa-Samsic and left him without racing possibilities in 2023. That will change in February when the 33-year-old starts his season with Movistar at the Volta a Valenciana.
Unzué called the Tramadol positives "mistakes" that were "undeniable" in an interview with El Mundo Deportivo.
"Those two mistakes did allow him to continue racing, although the confusion, and the loss of confidence, meant that he was not racing this year.
"With all that Nairo has contributed to cycling, to the team itself and to Telefónica, we couldn't just sit back and do nothing. The human element has also played an important role in his signing, especially because we are confident that he is still a man who can contribute a lot to the team with his experience, and we will surely see him up there on important days."
Unzué qualified his expectations, saying, "I am sure that his best days are behind him and many of them we have been lucky enough to enjoy them," adding that he thinks Quintana will "relieve him of some of the pressure [Enric Mas] has been under this year" as sole GC leader of the team.
"Knowing that he carried the sole responsibility for the team, sometimes that's too much, and I think the arrival of Nairo can be good for him in this sense," Unzué said.
"Sharing responsibilities with Nairo can be a relief for Enric and can help him so that his performance and final results can match the quality he has," adding that his results in 2023 "have not been up to his sporting level" and "have not done him justice".
Mas twice finished second in the Vuelta a España but has had bad luck in his last two Tour de France attempts, dropping out with COVID-19 in 2022 and crashing out on the opening stage this year.
Unzué confirmed that Movistar hoped to sign Carlos Rodriguez from Ineos but a pre-contract agreement fell through.
"We were very excited about signing him, but there was a clause that allowed for the possibility of re-signing [with Ineos].
"My impression is that in the end, he took into account the four years he had been with the Ineos team and the group of professionals who have been working with him for so long. I think this was decisive, along with the possibility of being able to be the leader of his team next year."
Unzué also recognised the disparity in budget size between Movistar and teams like Ineos and Jumbo-Visma, and said the team are trying to find a second sponsor to "have a certain balance and the ability to keep some of the best riders from leaving and have more options in the market."
