Javi Ontiveros linked to loan move from Villarreal

I absolutely love watching Javi Ontiveros play. His raw enthusiasm and (sometimes misguided) exuberant creativity brings entertainment to any match he is introduced in. That said, he clearly needs some time to develop and the only way that is going to happen is with consistent playing time. Given the addition of Take Kubo and the preferences Unai Emery has shown so far, it is no surprise to see that Javi is linked to go out on loan according to El Periodico Mediterraneo.

According to the report, it is Huesca who is the frontrunner to land the former Malaga man. In two matches, Huesca have 0.7xG and have only scored the once-when Alfonso Pedraza fell asleep at the wheel. Their offense clearly needs a shot in the arm and it looks like they’ll get it from us. Javi’s statistical radar tells you exactly what to expect from him:

footballslices.com

The really high rate of successful pressures, the high successful dribbles, the high progressive distance, that’s all raw energy. You can see in his dribble success % that he’s not the most efficient player, he just attacks and attacks and attacks. Eventually, some of this needs to be reigned in if he is going to be an effective La Liga player for the length of his career. More efficiency, better decision making, and pacing himself to last a full 90 minutes will all be learned skills, but I truly believe there are very few players in La Liga who are more fun to watch.

If this deal goes through, I wish Javi nothing but the best, and will probably find myself watching far more Huesca matches than I ever would have otherwise.