Thiago Fernández, from Villarreal signing to express loan move in Spain | OneFootball

The Thiago Fernández era at Villarreal will, for now, come to a premature pause. Barely 20 days after his official presentation, the Spanish club has decided to loan the Argentine forward so he can get more playing time and regain competitive rhythm for the remainder of the season.

Fernández’s destination will be Real Oviedo, a team currently sitting at the bottom of La Liga and fighting to avoid relegation. The loan will last until June of this year and will not include a purchase option, a decision made by mutual agreement with the aim of giving the player immediate game time.

The Yellow Submarine had announced him as a free signing at the beginning of January, with a contract running until June 2031. However, his recent lack of playing time and the need to adapt to Spanish football tipped the scales towards a quick loan move.

At the Asturian club, Fernández will share the squad with experienced players and a strong Argentine presence. Among them is the legendary Santi Cazorla, who is still active at 41 years old, and his compatriots Santiago Colombatto and Nicolás Fonseca, the latter having played for River and recently arrived from Mexican football.

The forward arrives at Oviedo with a record of 48 official matches, six goals, and nine assists in the First Division, in addition to having been part of the Vélez team that won the 2024 Professional League. However, he has gone over a year without playing official minutes, a situation that was key in the decision to find him a new destination.

Thiago’s last stint at Vélez was marked by conflict. In December 2024, he suffered a ligament injury that kept him off the pitch for several months. When he was fit to return, his relationship with the management became strained after he expressed his intention not to renew his contract.

This stance led to him being separated from the first team and left without any chance to play. Before finalizing his move to Villarreal, the striker said goodbye to the club with a strong message on social media, directly targeting the Board of Directors.

“Today I say goodbye, not quite in the way I would have liked,” he wrote, then harshly criticized the directors, accusing them of mishandling negotiations and having harmed him during the renewal process.

Now, with a new chapter in Spain, Thiago Fernández will look to leave that episode behind and feel like a footballer again. The loan to Real Oviedo appears to be a key opportunity to relaunch his career and start to justify Villarreal’s long-term investment in him.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.