Villarreal have suffered a cruel blow as the season approaches, with key defender Juan Foyth being ruled out with a knee problem.
The Argentinian defender has struggled with injuries over the past two seasons, and his left knee has caused issues again, after he left a preseason friendly against Nottingham Forest injured over the weekend. Marca say that it is a medial ligament problem, and will keep him out for around two months. Clearly this is bad news, but he did at least escape the dreaded anterior cruciate ligament tear, over which there was concern.
Meanwhile in the transfer market, the same outlet say they are keen to bring in at least three more signings before the end of the transfer window. The exit of Alexander Sorloth means the Yellow Submarine need a new striker, with Borja Mayoral now in doubt due to injury concerns. Chelsea’s Datro Fofana and Borussia Dortmund’s Youssoufa Moukoko are alternatives.
Marcelino Garcia Toral also wants another central defender after signing Manchester United’s Willy Kambwala and Eric Bailly earlier this year. They had been hoping to secure the signature of Yerson Mosquera from Wolves, but it appears they have given up on him. RB Salzburg’s Oumar Soulet and Barcelona’s Clement Lenglet are on their shortlist. Finally, with Filip Jorgensen leaving for Chelsea, Marcelino needs someone to compete with Diego Conde.
After a tough season leaving them out of Europe, Villarreal have sold for a total of €73m so far this transfer window, spending just €14m so far. Three of their signings have been free agents, including Sergi Cardona, Pape Gueye and Nicolas Pepe most recently. It will certainly be interesting to see how Marcelino copes without their star striker.
