‘Exciting’ Carlos Villanueva Joins Paul Ince Revolution at Blackburn: Newcastle & Man City Miss Out
Blackburn have completed the signing of Carlos Villanueva on a season-long loan deal from Chilean outfit Audax Italiano. The 22-year old attacking midfielder replaces David Bentley who moved to Tottenham this week and has already captured the imagination of new manager Paul Ince.
The former Macclesfield and MK Dons manager had this to say, “He’s a very skilful and exciting player.”
“Hopefully it’s a signing that will excite our fans.
“Some of the lads have watched him on YouTube and he looks different class.
“Getting him here excites me and shows the kind of football I’m looking to play at Blackburn.”
Villanueva was recently voted Chilean Footballer of the Year and if he impresses will join in a £4m deal. Rovers beat the likes of Newcastle and Man City to the highly-rated young playmaker after a proposed move to Spain’s Real Sociedad collapsed due to a lack of funds.
The left-footed midfield star has plenty of potential and is a relatively cheap replacement for Tottenham new boy Bentley in the Rovers line-up. The youngster has played for Audax all his professional career and despite playing in an attacking midfield role he has an excellent scoring record at club level. In just under 4 years Villanueva has scored 49 goals in 113 League appearances. His nickname is ‘Cabeza de Pina’ which interestingly translates as the head of a pineapple.
The player is renowned for his range of incisive passing as well as his ability to convert chances and would be available for a modest fee of £4m if reports are to believed. Such is the youngsters standing that he was offered the Audax captaincy but refused the role after a dispute with the directors of the club.
Villanueva represented Chile in the 2005 FIFA World Youth Cup and has since become a mainstay of the senior side after scoring on his debut. He has since made eleven appearances but has only 1 goal to his name. He was also part of Chile’s 2007 Copa America squad.
The 5 ft 8 star is a bundle of tricks and is an exciting prospect for Blackburn fans this season. After all, do what the Rovers players did and check out this video, excited? You should be!
So what do you think about the signing of Carlos Villanueva? Do you think he’ll be an exciting new arrival or would you have preferred a more experienced target? Let’s hear your views.
Tags: Blackburn, Carlos Villanueva, Man City, Newcastle
