Roig: «Sixteen teams want Diatta and Maciá»

Villarreal has secured its two biggest academy prospects. According to CEO Fernando Roig Negueroles, in statements to Marca, as many as sixteen clubs have requested Alassande Diatta and Carlos Maciá, both players who came from the B team last season and now feature prominently in the first team under Iñigo Pérez.

Roig made it clear that the club could cash in significantly if it decided to sell, but the intention is to retain them in the main squad. «If we put them on the market, we could sell them for a lot of money. And yet here they don't seem to be valued», the Villarreal executive said, stressing that «they are first-team players in every respect».

The CEO also defended the quality of the current squad and called for confidence in the available players: «Last year we finished third with, according to some, poor players. We have very good ones and we're improving them. We can't think that playing at Bayern's ground with an academy player means we have to perform poorly».