Villarreal
- Thread starter Messi983
- Start date
Messi983
Well-known member
Hopefully they won't sell any starter this summer though they apparently have offers around 40m for Pape Gueye (and his reported clause is 45m) so I guess he'll be gone if that's true and they will need to rebuild entire midfield with Parejo and Partey (he didn't really do much) leaving as well.
They also had lot of long-term injuries, especially in defense where Foyth, Logan Costa and Kambwala missed most of the season. Getting them back will be important and Carlos Romero is also returning from a two year loan spell at Espanyol to replace Pedraza who is leaving. He just renewed until 2031 so won't leave this summer but we should def keep an eye on Romero as a potential longterm LB option if he also proves himself in CL. And I wouldn't mind Cardona either as a cheaper option with his contract expiring next year.
I assume Inigo will probably use 4-2-3-1 rather than Marcelino's 4-4-2 so something like that.
Luiz Junior (Conde, Arnau)
Foyth (Mourino, Freeman) - Logan Costa (Pau Navarro) - Veiga (Kambwalla) - Romero (Cardona)
Gueye? (????) - ???? (Comesana)
Pepe (Buchanan) - Moleiro (???) - ??? (Ayoze)
Mikautadze (Oluwaseyi, Moreno)
I think they are probably ok in defense and upfront (though I would look for an upgrade over Oluwaseyi; Moreno still scores when he plays but has problem staying fit so I don't think he can be seriously counted on as a 2nd striker) but as said they need two midfielders, possibly three if Gueye will leave. I've seen them linked to Aleix Garcia (ex Girona, now at Bayer) and Antonio Blanco (Alaves) who would both be solid signings.
They also need a LW or an AM, depending where they will use Moleiro. Of current players he's the most (and only) really suitable player for AM so we'll see who they will bring. Besides a starter at one of those positions also another rotation player though Ayoze can cover there but he's had his fair share of injuries as well.
They also had lot of long-term injuries, especially in defense where Foyth, Logan Costa and Kambwala missed most of the season. Getting them back will be important and Carlos Romero is also returning from a two year loan spell at Espanyol to replace Pedraza who is leaving. He just renewed until 2031 so won't leave this summer but we should def keep an eye on Romero as a potential longterm LB option if he also proves himself in CL. And I wouldn't mind Cardona either as a cheaper option with his contract expiring next year.
I assume Inigo will probably use 4-2-3-1 rather than Marcelino's 4-4-2 so something like that.
Luiz Junior (Conde, Arnau)
Foyth (Mourino, Freeman) - Logan Costa (Pau Navarro) - Veiga (Kambwalla) - Romero (Cardona)
Gueye? (????) - ???? (Comesana)
Pepe (Buchanan) - Moleiro (???) - ??? (Ayoze)
Mikautadze (Oluwaseyi, Moreno)
I think they are probably ok in defense and upfront (though I would look for an upgrade over Oluwaseyi; Moreno still scores when he plays but has problem staying fit so I don't think he can be seriously counted on as a 2nd striker) but as said they need two midfielders, possibly three if Gueye will leave. I've seen them linked to Aleix Garcia (ex Girona, now at Bayer) and Antonio Blanco (Alaves) who would both be solid signings.
They also need a LW or an AM, depending where they will use Moleiro. Of current players he's the most (and only) really suitable player for AM so we'll see who they will bring. Besides a starter at one of those positions also another rotation player though Ayoze can cover there but he's had his fair share of injuries as well.
It seems that they will have a strategy going forward to recruit North American players, expand their academies in NA, hence pushing for the US Liga game.
Perhaps this is part of the cause of the breakup with Marcelino and not backing the project and CL qualifications sportingly.
Inigo is a great managerial choice though. As @Messi983 says, hopefully they didn't see him doing wonders on a limited budget with Rayo and expect him to do similar with Villarreal.
Perhaps this is part of the cause of the breakup with Marcelino and not backing the project and CL qualifications sportingly.
Inigo is a great managerial choice though. As @Messi983 says, hopefully they didn't see him doing wonders on a limited budget with Rayo and expect him to do similar with Villarreal.
Messi983
Well-known member
They've spend 175m in last two years but still ended up slightly in green in net spent (I know that's not important for FFP). And a year before that (summer 2023) they had 100m profit on the market when they were renovating stadium and didn't invest much in the team while selling players like Chukwueze, Pau Torres and Nicolas Jackson.
They can overspend 10-20m every now and then but longterm they usually spend what they earn through sales which (despite being a regular in Europe for years and establishing themselves as a 4th best team in La Liga recently) is understandable for a club of their size with a smaller stadium (La Ceramica has 6th lowest capacity of La Liga clubs this season) and relatively modest fan base.
In other words, they are realistic and know their place in Spanish and European football. And they prefer to stay top 4 in LL and get that guaranteed CL money rather than chasing the dreams of maybe getting to the CL semi-finals again (where they would lose against PSG or Bayern anyway) and risking a worse season in the league.
Football map has changed a lot over last two decades and now it's almost impossible for non-elite clubs outside of top 4 leagues and PSG to get to the CL final. Unless a financial colapse and total market reset will happen chances for us to see a CL final like Porto vs Monaco again in next 10-15 years are very low. So if other clubs want some continental glory they will have to chase it in other two European competitions.
They can overspend 10-20m every now and then but longterm they usually spend what they earn through sales which (despite being a regular in Europe for years and establishing themselves as a 4th best team in La Liga recently) is understandable for a club of their size with a smaller stadium (La Ceramica has 6th lowest capacity of La Liga clubs this season) and relatively modest fan base.
In other words, they are realistic and know their place in Spanish and European football. And they prefer to stay top 4 in LL and get that guaranteed CL money rather than chasing the dreams of maybe getting to the CL semi-finals again (where they would lose against PSG or Bayern anyway) and risking a worse season in the league.
Football map has changed a lot over last two decades and now it's almost impossible for non-elite clubs outside of top 4 leagues and PSG to get to the CL final. Unless a financial colapse and total market reset will happen chances for us to see a CL final like Porto vs Monaco again in next 10-15 years are very low. So if other clubs want some continental glory they will have to chase it in other two European competitions.
Who is everyone even these days? Tis a forum of nameshifters I tell ya.
Windvane
Active member
EA Sports, it's in the sig.
Windvane
Active member
Haha nice
Messi983
Well-known member
Although they have qualified for the Champions League , Villarreal will have to make a significant sacrifice during the summer transfer window. "At one point, we took a gamble and went to a level that doesn't reflect our financial means, and we did it because we thought there was a chance to compete in top-level European competition again, and we've achieved that. But we can't maintain that level of spending and effort every year. We have to balance the books for the 2026-27 season, since playing in the Champions League will likely require us to make a sale ," admitted CEO Fernando Roig to the newspaper AS .
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LaLiga is cooked. Villarreal with 2 CL qualifying seasons in a row, and a +120m net spend over past 3 seasons have to sell to be able to stay competing at the level.
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LaLiga is cooked. Villarreal with 2 CL qualifying seasons in a row, and a +120m net spend over past 3 seasons have to sell to be able to stay competing at the level.