The financial disparity between the Premier League and other top divisions across the continent is nothing new, but it is even more pronounced in the immediate post-Covid era, when Spanish clubs are still weighed down by the significant hit to the coffers that the pandemic brought.
This summer La Liga has lost important players such as Diego Carlos and Gonçalo Guedes to mid-ranking Premier League sides for amounts nobody outside the big three in Spain would be able to afford. Many more could follow them to England before September 1’s deadline.
One likely reality we could see in the next few years is something of a talent drain heading north, as we’re now at a stage where even newly promoted Premier League sides would be able to compete financially with some of the bigger (though not biggest) La Liga sides. Nottingham Forest, for example, have spent over €150 million this summer.
However, there lies hope for La Liga in the fact that few nations develop young players quite like Spain does. Unearthing new talent in academies could become an even more important aspect of business for Spanish teams in the near future, as it is a model that has proven to work well in the past, and will no doubt work again this year.
Champions League semi-finalists last year, Villarreal, provide a perfect case in point. Unai Emery admitted in the wake of his first victory over Diego Simeone’s Atletico Madrid on Sunday evening that the yellow submarine were ultimately a selling club, but he highlighted the cocktail of youth and experience his side has that once again looks to be a strong candidate to push for honours this season.
What Villarreal have done over the past few years, both on and off the pitch, is genuinely amazing. They’ve found extraordinary value in the transfer market with loans and free signings and they’ve also known when to spend big money on the right player. But this alone has not driven their ascent; academy graduates have been key to Europa League triumph and Champions League exploits.
Yeremi Pino is still only 19 years of age but already feels like one of the biggest threats Villarreal have. Two years ago, his was a name only those with knowledge of the rising stars in Villarreal’s academy would have known, and now Pino is a Spain international and among the best wide attackers in the league. The Canarian’s pace and trickery causes havoc and he already has the tactical nous to shine in a system as difficult as Emery’s. His quick reactions to pounce on Nahuel Molina’s error gave the yellow submarine the lead in the Metropolitano that they held onto until the final whistle, and his dribbling left Valladolid defenders for dead in the opening game of the season.
On that day, he put the ball on a plate for Nicolas Jackson to tap into an empty net for the first goal of a 3-0 win, another new player who has come from seemingly nowhere that looks like a ready-made star. The 21-year-old Senagalese striker has started both of his team’s first games and has been a constant danger in both, with his tall, powerful stature and his clever running behind the lines of defence.
Coming on off the bench in both games and adding a new dimension to Villarreal’s attack in each has been winger Alex Baena. The 21-year-old Andalusian helped Girona get promoted last year while out on loan, and now in Primera División looks to be one of the first substitute options Emery looks at, bagging two goals – including one stunning top-corner strike from outside the box – in the season curtain raiser.
Villarreal have so many talented senior players, but again and again they turn to their young emerging players to take them to the next level.
One of the most enjoyable aspects of La Liga in recent years has been the rise of young players such as these from underage teams to household names, and maybe even on to future superstars. This isn’t limited to Villarreal either, they’re just excelling in that department with two wins from two this campaign so far, helped massively by youth players brought up through their famed academy.
With Sevilla looking stagnant and Villarreal without the glamour distraction of the Champions League this season, the yellow submarine are a serious candidate to break what has been the same top four in the past three seasons, driven by their talented youth who are still making their names known to the footballing world.
The league will lose big-name talent, but hungry young players always come up from behind to fill those voids.
