Villarreal race against the clock to sign Amine Harit

Boy this is out of the blue. Amine Harit, 23 year old attacking midfielder from Schalke, has rather suddenly been linked with a signing at Villarreal. Apparently there is a race against the clock to see if we can secure the services for the player.

Unlike other options we have been linked with, Harit is not a pure winger, though he has played out wide on occasion. He has primarily played a central attacking role, which I guess would mean that his signing pushes Manu Trigueros out wide? In general, he’s a rather good player despite playing for a Schalke team that is just having an absolutely miserable year.

Javi Mata may give us official news to the contrary right as I post this, but I have to think this is a loan with some kind of buy option/obligation. I don’t see us having the funds on hand to make this deal permanent right away and I can’t see Schalke letting him go without having some sort of assurance of a payoff. Despite being one of the biggest clubs in Germany, they are looking at a serious likelihood of relegation and they would want as many resources on hand as possible to get right back up.

I am not sure this signing would address the issues we’ve had in terms of speed of buildup play. He’s not a winger and with Gerard coming back from injury it is unclear to me how we would fit Harit, Trigueros, Moi, and Gerard all into a side, or who would be the casualty that gets dropped. Nonetheless, the player is very gifted and could be essential depth as we press on in three competitions.