How is ex-Blackburn Rovers midfielder Ben Brereton-Diaz faring at Villareal?
FLW looks at how former Blackburn Rovers player Ben Brereton-Diaz is faring at his new club.
With the first international break now upon us, it gives us a chance to reflect on the start of the Championship campaign.
In their five Championship matches so far, Rovers have two wins, one draw and two defeats to their name, leaving them 13th in the league standings on eight points at this very early stage.
They did not head into the international break with the best result, though, it must be said, having been beaten 3-0 by Plymouth Argyle on Saturday afternoon.
Although they are going steady without him, one player that Blackburn Rovers supporters and indeed Jon Dahl Tomasson would surely love to still have available for selection is Ben Brereton-Diaz.
When did Ben Brereton-Diaz leave Blackburn?
The Chilean striker left Blackburn Rovers earlier this summer on a free transfer, with his contract at Ewood Park expiring at the end of June.
The 24-year-old no doubt had endless options in terms of potential teams he could join, but opted to join LaLiga outfit Villareal.
The Spanish side finished 5th in LaLiga in 2022/23, meaning that Ben Brereton-Diaz will be playing UEFA Europa League football this campaign. It will certainly be interesting to see how the forward adapts to the level of European football.
How is Ben Brereton-Diaz getting on at Villareal?
With all of the above in mind, we thought it would be a good idea to take a look at how Brereton-Diaz has settled in at Villareal, and how his early matches over in Spain are going.
When did Ben Brereton-Diaz make his Villareal debut?
So far, the Chilean has had to be patient for big opportunities at the Spanish club, although he has already made his club debut.
Indeed, having been an unused substitute in a 2-1 defeat to Real Betis in the opening match of the season, Brereton-Diaz made his first start for the club in a 1-0 win over Mallorca days later.
During that match, the Chilean featured for 77 minutes, but was unable to get on the scoring or assist sheet.
Is Ben Brereton-Diaz a regular starter for Villareal?
Although he started that match against Mallorca, so far, it remains the only start of Ben Brereton-Diaz’s Villareal career.
Indeed, in the club’s four LaLiga matches so far, he was an unused substitute in one, started one, and featured from the bench in the other two.
For example, after starting against Mallorca, Brereton-Diaz featured for just four minutes against FC Barcelona next time out, and in the match after that versus Cadiz, he played just 21 minutes.
As such, at this stage, Ben Brereton-Diaz is far from a regular starter for Villareal.
Has Ben Brereton-Diaz started well at Villareal?
Whilst it is only four games in and this is a very early assessment, Ben Brereton-Diaz has had a steady start to life at Villareal.
Although he is not yet a regular starter, we must not forget that the 24-year-old is stepping up from Championship football to LaLiga, and one of the top clubs in the league, for that matter.
As such, a bedding in period was probably expected, and if anything, you could perhaps argue that having featured three times, he has perhaps been involved more than he might have been expected to be, depending on your viewpoint.
As such, a bedding in period was probably expected, and if anything, you could perhaps argue that having featured three times, he has perhaps been involved more than he might have been expected to be, depending on your viewpoint.
