Villarreal did a lot of positive business in the summer, although a couple of deals did not go down well among supporters – those being the signings of Thomas Partey and Manor Solomon.
The latter arrived late in the transfer window on a season-long loan from Tottenham Hotspur, but his signing was criticised by supporters due to his past support for the Israeli invasion of the Gaza strip. When asked about the matter during a press conference on Thursday, the 26-year-old made it clear that he is solely focused on his on-field efforts, as per MD.
“I’m here to play football, not to talk about politics. I’m Israeli. I am proud to be one. But I’m here to play football. I’m happy to be at Villarreal. It all happened in the end. I didn’t expect it. I knew they wanted to sign me, but it was done in the end. I want to show my quality and see the fans in the stadium and make them happy wearing this shirt.”
Next week, Solomon will face parent club Spurs, as Villarreal prepare for their first match back in the Champions League – he gave his thoughts on the unique situation.
“I was in London 10 days ago there. Now I’m going to go and play for Villarreal. That’s how the world of football works. One day you’re there and the next you’re in the opponent. I’m happy to be here. It will be a great challenge for me and for the team as well. I’m looking forward to starting the Champions League well and hopefully we can get a win against Tottenham.
“I spoke with Marcelino, but not about Tottenham. Maybe after the game against Atletico. He’s a great coach and he’ll know better than I do about them. First we have to play against Atleti, who are great opponents and it will be a great challenge. We’re really looking forward to playing it and then we’ll play Tottenham. It’s a big challenge. We’ll see what happens.”