Coach: Marcelino
Key signings: Roberto Soldado, Cedric Bakambu
Key sales: Luciano Vietto, Giovani dos Santos
Last season: 6th
This season [predicted finish]: 6th
Predicted finish is the average finish of the Football Espana team.
It's almost unthinkable that just three years ago, Villarreal were in deep preparations for the new Segunda season. Since securing promotion, however, they have managed two sixth-place finishes in La Liga, while constantly improving their squad.
Although Villarreal were more than good enough to secure Europa League football in 2014-15, they were still well off the pace in terms of reaching the Champions League. Sevilla finished 16 points above them, a gap the Yellow Submarine will be will desperate to close over the coming season, but given the financial outlay of those above them, it may prove difficult, especially given their recent transfer activity with the departure of some key players.
There was much consternation amongst Villarreal fans after the loss of both their top goalscorer and most budding prodigy in Luciano Vietto to Atletico Madrid for just €20 million. Denis Cheryshev’s stock also increased immensely during his loan spell from Real Madrid, so much so that he may now have a first-team place at the Santiago Bernabeu, leaving little to no hope of a permanent deal.
Following them out the door is Giovani dos Santos, who had an encouraging first season in the east of Spain but tailed off last time out. Ikechukwu Uche and Gerard Moreno have also left the club.
Attempts to replace the aforementioned have been rather uninspiring – Samu Castillejo and Saml Garcia have both arrived from Malaga for a combined €16m.
Castillejo looks a promising talent, the 20-year-old having made a handful of appearances for Spain Under-21s, though whether he can have a profound effect on the first team remains to be seen.
Leo Baptistao has made yet another loan move, while Cedric Bakambu is a relatively-unknown quantity, even if he did score 21 goals in 35 games for Bursaspor in 14-15. Nonetheless, whether he can transfer those figures into Spanish football remains to be seen.
One glimmer of hope, however, is the recent signing of Roberto Soldado. To those who watch Spanish football exclusively, this signing is a bargain at €16m, considering Villarreal fans would have watched on in envy as the striker smashed in goals for fun with rivals Valencia.
Soldado's form for Tottenham Hotspur sadly belied his reputation as a ruthless goal-getter, with only 16 goals in 76 appearances, but he is as close to a marquee signing as it gets. Should he recapture the form that saw him become a fan favourite at Valencia and Getafe, the signing is a shrewd one. On the other hand, if his dismal run continues, Villarreal may as well have dumped the €16m in the Mijares river.
Real Betis, Espanyol, Granada greet Villarreal in their first three games in what is a relatively-simple start to the season, which gives time for Marcelino's new squad to settle, although it is hard to escape the fact that they are weaker that they were 12 months ago.
Yet Villarreal are a modest club who have always significantly punched above their weight, and this season is unlikely to be too different. They will certainly compete, that’s for sure.
