Analyzing Villarreal’s Summer 2024 Business
After several seasons being a regular in European competitions, Villarreal finished 8th after an outstanding end to the 2023/24 season under Marcelino García. This summer they have made many changes with the objective of returning to Europe. In this article, we will be investigating Villarreal’s summer business position by position.
For each position, there will be a ranking in which I put a color for each player considering the level of each player, also taking into account the manager’s system and their role. The ranking will go red for bad, yellow for average, and green for good.
Manager
Since Unai Emery left in 2022 for Aston Villa, Villarreal have not found the ideal manager to be placed in his position with Quique Setién and Pacheta passing by. Until Marcelino returned to the Yellow Submarine, a manager who won the Copa del Rey with Valencia in 2019 and took the team to two consecutive 4th-placed finishes.
In addition, he won the Supercopa de España with Athletic Club. His appointment was excellent as he has a lot of experience in Spain and has had great performances in each club he has been to and also already knows the club.
Goalkeepers
Both of Villarreal’s goalkeepers left in the summer with 41-year-old Pepe Reina ending his contract and 22-year-old Filip Jorgensen joining Chelsea for almost €25 million. This last operation is excellent as they have received a large sum for a goalkeeper who has just one year of experience at the highest level. To replace them, they have signed 25-year-old Diego Conde for €4 million from Leganés which is an excellent operation as he was the best goalkeeper in the second tier last season and can still improve massively.
In addition, they have signed 23-year-old Luiz Júnior for €12 million from Famalicao. This operation doesn’t seem like the best as his Transfermarkt value is just €6 million so they overpaid and he has no experience in La Liga. Also, having already signed Diego Conde they could have gone for a cheaper alternative for the second-choice goalkeeper. Furthermore, 23-year-old Iker Álvarez remains at the club as third-choice goalkeeper.
Defenders
Marcelino usually plays with a back four in which both his center backs are robust and win many duels. Meanwhile, his full-backs are able to join attacks to form superiorities on the wings and are also able to win their defensive duels and 1vs1s.
Center-Backs
In the center-back position, Villarreal have seen 23-year-old Yerson Mosquera leave with the end of his loan spell, 32-year-old Aissa Mandi leave on a free to Lille, and 24-year-old Jorge Cuenca leave to join Fulham for more than €6 million. Mandi leaving the club is a great operation as he was an old player who never really had protagonism at the club. On the other hand, Cuenca was a player who broke into the first team last season and showed a good level so selling him for that cheap perhaps was a mistake.
Incoming, Villarreal have signed 19-year-old Willy Kambwala for €10 million from Manchester United. This signing raises question marks as it is a large sum of money for a player who has no experience in the elite level and may face issues adapting to the league. Furthermore, they have signed 23-year-old Logan Costa for €18 million from Toulouse. He is a player who showed a good level at Toulouse and suits Marcelino, however, that fee seems larger than it should.
Also, remaining at the club is 39-year-old club captain Raúl Albiol and 30-year-old Eric Bailly. Raúl Albiol is an excellent player with a lot of experience and who constantly has good performances, meanwhile, Eric Bailly has not quite shown the level expected of him since joining and could have been a player leaving the club.
Overall, they have recognized that their defense needed improvement as they conceded 65 goals last season only beaten by 19th-placed Almería and 20th-placed Granada. Nonetheless, the only real improvement in this position is Logan Costa and they should have searched for another center-back who could have an immediate impact.
Right-Backs
The only modification in the right-back position that Villarreal has done is sending academy graduate 23-year-old Adrià Altimira on loan to Leganés where he will get experience in the First Division. That means that Villarreal have 33-year-old Kiko Femenía and 26-year-old Juan Foyth remaining at the club. Keeping both of these players was the correct decision as they have both shown a good level at the club and continue to impress.
Left-Backs
In the left-back position, there have been several changes, first of all, academy graduate 22-year-old Carlos Romero has left on loan to Espanyol. This operation is excellent as he is a player with potential and he is going to get experience in the First Division.
In addition, 32-year-old Alberto Moreno has left on a free to Como, an older player who was beginning to lose game time. Also, 31-year-old Johan Mojica was sold for €1.5 million to Mallorca, a player who never really played at Villarreal. Nonetheless, he came from a great Copa America reaching the final and had a good season with Osasuna last season so he could have either been sold for more or been a member of the squad.
To replace them, 25-year-old Sergi Cardona has come in on a free transfer after ending his contract at Las Palmas. He has just one year of experience in La Liga, however, last season he had good performances and could show a good level at Villarreal.
Moreover, they have brought in 31-year-old Juan Bernat on loan from PSG. This operation seems unnecessary considering they already have two left-backs as 28-year-old Alfonso Pedraza remains at the club. However, he does add more experience and depth to a position where Pedraza is often faced with injuries.
Midfielders
Marcelino plays with two midfielders in a 4-4-2 and usually plays with one midfielder who is more technical and the other more physical. Villarreal have faced a few departures in this position, them being 32-year-old Manu Trigueros leaving on a free to join Granada, a player who in the past years had limited game time at the club.
Also, both 33-year-old Francis Coquelin and 35-year-old Étienne Capoue have ended their contracts at the club which is a hard hit as both of them, especially Capoue, were pillars of the squad in the most recent years. To replace them, they have signed 25-year-old Pape Gueye on a free from Marseille which seems like an excellent deal as he already has experience in La Liga having played at Sevilla two years ago and having great performances.
Remaining at the club is 35-year-old Dani Parejo who is still an excellent midfielder who is great on the ball, and 27-year-old Santi Comesaña who performed very well last season. Along with them, there is 23-year-old Ramón Terrats and 30-year-old Denis Suárez who has a complicated situation and who has a lot of quality if he can get back on track with his career. If he cannot, he is a player that should be discarded.
Forwards
Marcelino usually plays with two wingers which are effective in 1vs1 situations and also help out in defence when needed. In addition, he plays with two strikers, with one of them more as a target man while the other is able to drop deep and help to act as a playmaker.
Right-Wingers
As right-wingers, Villarreal have 20-year-old sensation Ilias Akhomach who had his breakout season last year and since then he has gone to the Olympics and won the bronze medal with Morocco. In addition, there is 21-year-old Yéremy Pino who was injured for a long period and is now back from injury. We don’t know how he will return from his injury, however, if he is able to return to his previous performances he is an excellent player.
Also, 29-year-old Nicolas Pépé has joined the club on a free transfer, a player who is past his best seasons, and seeing Villareal’s other players it will be rare to see him play many minutes.
From this position, Villareal have let go of 28-year-old Bertrand Traoré on a free after signing him also on a free the previous year. It is a good operation as he didn’t show a great level at the club and with the return of Yéremy Pino he would very rarely play. In addition, 22-year-old Haissem Hassan has left the club for €1.5 million to Real Oviedo, a player who never got to have continuity at the club.
Left-Wingers
In the left-winger position, Villarreal have lost Gonçalo Guedes due to the end of his loan spell and have let 27-year-old Arnaut Danjuma leave on loan to Girona. He is a player who could offer Villarreal a lot with his speed and verticality, he could have been an excellent player under Marcelino.
They have brought in 31-year-old Ayoze Pérez for just €4 million which is an excellent deal as he is in his best form and has experience in La Liga having played at Betis. Also, in this position is 23-year-old Álex Baena who had amazing performances under Marcelino last season and was called up to the Euros and the Olympics.
Although both of these players are excellent, Villarreal should have looked for a more direct profile of a winger who excels in 1vs1 situations as this is something they do not have in this wing.
Center-Forwards
In the center-forward position, Villarreal have moved many pieces, with the academy graduates 21-year-old Andrés Ferrari and also 21-year-old Jorge Pascual leaving on loan to Sint-Truiden and SD Eibar respectively. These operations are great as it will allow them to gain experience and come back to play in the first team.
In addition, 36-year-old José Luis Morales has left the club on a free, a player who had lost his place in the squad. Also, Ben Brereton Díaz has been sold for more than €8 million to Southampton, this operation is excellent as he was a player who didn’t succeed at the club and was loaned out in January.
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Finally, the most important sale is the second-highest goalscorer in the league, 29-year-old Alexander Sorloth has joined Atlético Madrid for €32 million. This operation is great as although he was a very important player, he may have enjoyed one sensational season and then dropped off, also he is nearing the 30-year-old mark so in theory he only has a few years left at the highest level.
To replace him, 21-year-old Thierno Barry was bought for €14 million from Basel. This operation is not great as he has been overpaid for, nonetheless, he will be the perfect substitute to Sorloth as he is a target man. However, he is still young and he still has not experienced playing at a big European level so we will have to see how he plays in Spain.
Remaining at the club, there is 32-year-old Gerard Moreno who is nearing the end of his career, although he is still a great player with a lot of quality. He is more of a second striker rather than a target man and also Ayoze Pérez, Álex Baena, and Nicolas Pépé can play in this position.
This means that Villareal has just one target man in the squad and perhaps, another out-and-out striker would have been very helpful as Marcelino prioritizes playing with one.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Villareal have had a transformation of their squad, spending more than €60 million in this summer transfer window. There have been some excellent operations like Ayoze Pérez or Pape Gueye, however, for some players they have overpaid such as Thierno Barry who is still very young.
Nonetheless, their overall squad has improved with Logan Costa, Ayoze Pérez or Sergi Cardona and they should look to achieve European qualification. In January, they may look for another striker if Thierno Barry is not scoring the goals necessary to replace those of Sorloth, and perhaps a center-back if Kambwala doesn’t prove the fee they paid for him.
By: Juan Fernandez Valencia / @ScoutLaLiga
Featured Image: @GabFoligno / Juan Manuel Serrano Arce / Getty Images