Torres deal sets winger market for Chukwueze

Ferran Torres of Valencia is on his way to Manchester City for a tiny sum of 25m plus add ons, according to a report from Marca. This is relevant to Villarreal because an often speculated method of paying for needed reinforcements this summer has been to sell a young valuable asset, and the club only really has two of them, ‘Pou and Chukueche’ to quote our new manager.

With CB being one of the areas that already needs reinforcement, and a crowded selection of wide players and forwards who can step out wide, Chukwueze becomes the more likely of the two to move on.

It is of course possible that we spend 25m on Zambo and just find budget options to address CB and CDM, but I really don’t think that is the club’s best option. The problem is that the transfer market is like any other financial market out there, it’s about supply and demand. Ferran Torres and Samu Chukwueze are right wingers with similarly bright futures, and if one of the richest clubs in the world is only paying 25m for Ferran it really sets the market for our player as well.

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In terms of shot creating actions, which include drawing fouls that lead to shots, passes that lead to a created chance, key passes, and dribbles, Chukwueze is far superior to Torres. He also covers more progressive distance, which is a fancy way of saying when he has the ball he is driving toward the opponent’s goal really effectively.

Four goals, five assists (Ferran) vs three goals two assists (Samu) is fairly inconsequential when the xG numbers are the same. Over the course of a decade players with that similar a non-penalty xG and xA are going to end up contributing to about the same number of goals. The two men go about their business a bit different but the results are largely the same. Which brings us back to our problem.

One of the big players in the winger market has now bought their man. Because City also sold Leroy Sane to Bayern, they are out of the winger market as well. Chelsea has a whole bevy of young attackers on the roster and more attackers coming in, and Real Madrid has more wingers than they can shake a stick at. What’s the market for Samu right now? Who would come in and pay more than 25m for him in this current market?

Villarreal aren’t under pressure to sell from the player’s contract situation, but I just don’t see many teams with the resources and the need to come in and buy him. If selling Samu is the plan for financing other roster moves, I think we may be a little bit stuck.