Southampton are moving closer to striking a deal to sign Ben Brereton Diaz following his tough stint at Villarreal.
The transfer window is heating up at St Mary’s, as Russell Martin continues to push to land some of his favoured targets.
Villarreal forward Ben Brereton Diaz is the most likely target to arrive on the south coast this summer, as Southampton move closer to striking a deal with the Spanish club.
While the Chilean has shown what he is capable of in England throughout his career, things didn’t go as well for him in Spain, with an insight now being provided.
LaLiga expert shares insight into Southampton target Ben Brereton Diaz’s time at Villarreal
After impressing in his first taste of the Premier League on loan at Sheffield United, it’s clear to see why the Saints are eyeing the services of Brereton Diaz.
The former Blackburn Rovers star netted six goals in only 14 appearances in the top flight after joining the Blades on loan from Villarreal in January.
Unfortunately for the versatile forward, his charm in the final third wasn’t able to be translated in Spain, as LaLiga expert Rahul Lakhani told Southampton FC News.
“There was excitement when Ben Brereton-Diaz joined Villarreal in the summer of 2023.
“It was seen as a bargain to land a striker who was thriving in front of goal on a free transfer, and his profile was also growing because of his exploits with the Chile National Team.
“Villarreal were in need of goals and speed out wide, and Quique Setien looked prepared to give Brereton-Diaz a fair chance. However, the manager was dismissed after just four La Liga games, with Villarreal starting the season with one win and three defeats.” Lakhani explained.
After making the move from Blackburn Rovers to Villarreal in the summer of 2023, there was great hope that Brereton Diaz’s career could take off beyond playing in the English second tier.
Unfortunately, Villarreal turned out to be a difficult club to have signed for at the time, given the managerial issues that the Spanish side had to navigate through over 2023/24.
Brereton Diaz wasn’t the only one to struggle at Villarreal
Speaking on some of the struggles Brereton Diaz was exposed to in Spain due to managerial mishaps, Lakhani described the Chilean’s environment at Villarreal as being “far from ideal”.
“Former Real Valladolid manager Pacheta joined, and it was a disaster. No attacking player was thriving, and the team struggled to create chances.
“Brereton-Diaz found himself in and out of the team, and after just two wins in eight La Liga games, Pacheta was also dismissed, with former Villarreal hero Marcelino returning to take charge.
“At this point, Brereton-Diaz was yet to score and had hardly featured.
“These were far from ideal conditions for any new signings to thrive in, and the attacker’s inability to speak Spanish fluently also made it tougher for him to settle. This also saw him briefly dropped from the National Team, and publicly criticised.”
Chance at LaLiga redemption was stolen
It seemed as though the former Championship star was unable to catch a break as things went from bad to worse in Spain, until a lifeline was handed to him.
To epitomise Brereton Diaz’s luck at Villarreal, his chance to impress was cruelly snatched away from him, which Lakhani hinted at being a possible point of no return for his season in LaLiga.
“The forward just needed a positive moment which could have sparked his career in La Liga to life, and he thought he found it when he netted what he thought was his first goal for the club: a 95th-minute winner away at Sevilla. However, the goal was controversially ruled out, and yet again he was frustrated.
“He would make just three more substitute appearances before the January transfer window, by which point it was clear that he needed to play regularly, and this was not going to come at Villarreal.
“Jose Luis Morales had found a strong vein of form when Marcelino arrived, and Brereton-Diaz fell further down the pecking order both as a winger and a striker.
“Marcelino then signed Goncalo Guedes on loan from Wolves, whom he had previously worked with at Valencia, whilst Alexander Sorloth and Gerard Moreno formed a formidable front-three, leaving Brereton-Diaz out in the cold, and he moved to Sheffield United on loan, where he performed well in a poor team.”
Southampton shouldn’t be concerned by Brereton Diaz’s Villarreal failure
At Sheffield United, the Saints target seemed to come back to life, with his heart clearly in England as he returned to the country he had played his whole career in.
Should Brereton Diaz’s time at Villarreal have been wiped from his playing CV, perhaps there would be fewer reservations over the Saints pushing to sign him.
While scoring no goals as a forward in 20 appearances at a new club doesn’t make for the best reading, the 25-year-old shouldn’t be judged strongly on his time in LaLiga.
“Brereton-Diaz joined Villarreal at a time of complete chaos, playing under three different managers who all had different tactical philosophies.
“Under Marcelino, Villarreal like to play a short passing, slow possession game, which is not suited to the former Blackburn striker’s attributes at all.
“Simple bad luck can be blamed for his failure to adapt at Villarreal. Had he joined a year later, with a team now much more capable of creating chances for the front three, in a much more stable environment, he may have had a better swing of things.”
It’s believed that the Saints are pushing to sign Brereton Diaz this summer for a fee in the region of £7m, a deal that Lakhani explains is a cause for celebration at Villarreal.
“Villarreal do see his sale as a massive positive. Receiving just under £7m for an attacker they signed for free, who started just twice in La Liga, is superb business from a selling point of view.”
It will be fascinating to see Brereton Diaz back in England if he is to arrive at St Mary’s this summer, with redemption expected to be on his mind after a difficult six months in Spain.