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Late last night (eastern US time) Sr. de Hora, Nilmar's agent, apologized to Villarreal for his incendiary comments--at Nilmar's request. That was a pretty good sign that something really wouldhappen and we woudn't be caught up in some sort of Riquelme-type standoff. And now the news has been repoted by both EPM and Sportyou, and while we don't get the young Brazilian we were salivating over (Casemiro) we do come out of the deal pretty well.
Acuerdo total entre Villarreal y Sao Paulo por Nilmar: diez millones
€10 million cash, payable in three installments this year (and apparently secured by some sort of payment guarantee, which was pat of the holdup), it could rise to €12m if certain targets are met. Nilmar and Sao Paolo still have to reach an agreement, but that is believed to be likely. This deal frees up a good chunk of salary, too--€2.2m per year.
In spite of Granada claiming they've made a bid for Gio dos Santos, José Lizarraga tweeted last night he 'saw the player eating lunch on a terrace in Benacassim'. We'll see:
Acercamiento con el Tottenham por ‘Gio’ - Deportes - El Periódico Mediterraneo
It sound as though we should expect one other player as well--perhaps a defender, I suppose, but the Jackson Martinez rumor is still out there. And not that we've had tremendous luck with Uches, but Kalu Uche is available--his Swiss club, Neuchatel Xamax, has been pitched out of the league, the players and staff have been made free agents and are available to be signed by anyone. Yes, that includes former Valencia man David Navarro and ex-Getafe man Victor Sanchez.
Still lots of discussion about payment of players. Lucas Porcar and Mateo Musacchio were asked about this on Radio 9, Diego Lopez yesterday. No one seems concerned about this, although it appears the club did ask to pay its playing staff later than usual this month or one month in the past, I'm honestly not sure. (I suppose it might have to do with all the possible ins and outs before the end of the month).
Rafa Fabian (EPM journalist) probably puts it best when he says "Villarreal has ALWAYS fulfilled its commitments and knowing its seriousness, I don't know why people are paying so much attention to an agent's temper tantrum."
Good advice. Endavant Villarreal!!