Unai Emery is not thrilled about reports suggesting Villarreal winger Yeremy Pino could leave for Premier League giants Arsneal or Liverpool, while adding to Stadium Astro that ‘unwanted exits’ may be on the cards.
It took the silky Spain international just 49 minutes of the new La Liga season to show why Mikel Arteta is such a keen admirer. Breezing past a nearby full-back with a trademark burst of acceleration, Yeremy Pino then showed that he’s got substance as well as skill; A devilish cross, piercing the so-called ‘corridor of uncertainty’, snaffled up gratefully at the back post by Nicolas Jackson.
Pino, at the age of 19, already has four caps for the Spanish national team. Last term, he became the youngest-ever player to score a hat-trick in the first-half of a La Liga match.
And with Villarreal focusing on making a fast start to the new campaign, reports linking the likes of Pino and Juan Foyth with a departure in the final two weeks of the month have Emery again making that age-old argument.
Is it really fair to expect clubs and managers to go about their business not knowing which players will still be at their disposal in September?
Could Yeremy Pino leave La Liga for the Premier League?
“The market closes on August 31st,” sighs the former Arsenal boss, the build up to Villarreal’s UEFA Conference League qualifier with Hajduk Split dominated by transfer speculation. “And it does not make much sense.
“In England they wanted to change the date, but in the end it was detrimental to the English market. The logical thing would be close at the beginning of August.
“What can affect us is that there may be unwanted exit movements. What harms (us) the most is something unforeseen; A significant clause payment or an offer a player considers very attractive.”
According to Fabrizio Romano, Chelsea like Yeremy Pino. Liverpool, meanwhile, have scouted the teenage forward ‘many, many times’.
Pino has a near-£70 million release clause in his contract. Goal, however, believe Villarreal may accept as low as £38 million.
“If offers arrive for players like Yeremy Pino, then he will have to leave,” Emery admitted last week. “We have a responsibility as a club.”
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