I didn't see it coming a few weeks ago, as the World Cup wound down. I didn't even really believe it a week and a half ago. But now it looks almost certain that Jozy Altidore is staying with Villarreal for the season. The reasons this assumption can be made now:
- David Fuster, one of his primary rivals for playing time, is on his way to rejoin former boss Ernesto Valverde at Olympiakos in Greece.
- Jozy was given a squad number (12) by the club.
- Jozy has now been included in the squad for the first match of the club's Europa League campaign.
By my calculation, that all adds up to him being squared away in the squad. How much playing time he will get is still yet to be determined.
On other notes, reports of Gonzalo's demise were a bit premature. He has apologized to the club, and things seem to have been worked out between him and Garrido. Now we will have a much more solid core going through the center of our back line, with Gonzalo, Marchena, and Musacchio, backed up by the youngsters. That feels pretty good.