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The Saudi Arabian players we’ve signed have arrived in Vila-real and will be officially presented tomorrow. Salem Al Dawsari will join the first team, Jaber Eissa will become a Villarreal B player.
Speaking of the B team (or at least indirectly so, since they make up much of our Premier League International Cup squad), the draw for the quarterfinals was made and we will face...Manchester United!! Dates and times of the ties are still to be confirmed, but it’ll be Liverpool-Porto; Sunderland-Newcastle; Arsenal-Dinamo Zagreb; Man Utd-Villarreal.
Javi Fuego has joined Villarreal; various outlets have reported is joining Villarreal for less than €1m. We do know Quique Sanchez Flores is furious with the Espanyol management for allowing him to leave. Quique: “I turned Stoke City down, and now THIS? Give me a cold, rainy night in the Potteries anytime!”
Villarreal are preparing to face Real Betis on Saturday, knowing they won’t be facing Nahuel Leiva. We have agreed to let him move to Barcelona B on loan, where he’ll get a chance to play and resurrect his career, which has been on the slide. He played 19 matches for the Sevilla side without scoring and didn’t make much impact. Nahuel is still only 21; his two year loan period is up in June.