Ones to Watch - Valencia’s “Little Silva” Fran Villalba

When Valencia appointed Gary Neville as head coach until he end of the season it created a huge buzz back in England but less so over here. That’s not to slight Gary Neville’s reputation but more so the politics at play when it comes to media coverage in Spain. Rafa Benitez punishing a player for joking around on the bench when Real Madrid had conceded will always mean more than any positive result or performance of Valencia.

In the local press it’s been a largely different story. He’s been universally praised for the appointment of Miguel Angel Angulo as one of his right-hand men. Angulo is a man who knows the side’s academy from top to bottom and as Neville is someone who openly wants to copy the Maurico Pochettino’s model of putting his faith in those already at the club instead of just buying players from elsewhere, it made sense to have someone with a deep association with Valencia CF by his side.

Gary Neville said before the Getafe game that he saw no need to plan for January signings as the kids at Valencia hadn’t been given a chance to prove their worth yet. Ibrahim Diallo, Wilfried Zahibo and Fran Villalba were chosen by the Englishman to join the first team squad after impressive reports from Angulo. For certain sections of fans and board members it’s imperative that the club goes back to producing youngsters able to compete at the very top.

“We decided that we wanted them [Daillo, Zahibo and Villalba] to be with us for the next few weeks. We need to assure they keep learning and don’t get left behind,” stated Neville. “We want them to get minutes under their belt and give all they can. The expectations [with them] are very high but they need to keep their feet on the ground. They’ve got the talent and I’ve told them that but now comes the hard work. To be a Valencia player for 2-3 matches is nothing. It should be the first part of a long road to playing 100, 200 matches for Valencia. We need to work with them because we don’t know how they’ll react when they face rivals at the highest level.“

Ask any Valencia fan who they were most excited about in the team’s academy and one name will stand out ahead of the rest: Fran Villalba. The youngster is a local boy and although his parents were fans of fellow Valencia side Levante, his allegiance to Los Che cannot be questioned.

Former coach Nuno Espirito Santos noted his quality and high potential during preseason. He gave the youngster his first minutes with the senior side in their tour of Austria. Villalba had spent his time off in the summer working in the gym, attempting to bulk up his slight frame. He’s often referred to as the ‘new’ or ‘little’ David Silva although the player himself admits that he has a long way to go before he can be placed alongside the ex-Valencia star. Silva himself went out on loan to a then unknown Eibar CF where he learnt to improve the physical side of his game after proving his technical ability.

“It’s great that I have been likened to Silva but I have a long way to go in the game,” Villalba said. “I just need to keep on the right track.”

It could’ve been all too different if Liverpool had had their way in the summer of 2014. The English club made a huge play for the attacking midfielder, offering a lot more than Valencia were and promising to fast-track him into the first team. His first choice was always to remain in Valencia but he felt ready to make the step up. Liverpool had earlier taken Pedro Chirivella but were less fortunate when it came to Villalba who ultimately decided to stay.

Liverpool might have been the last side to try and poach Fran from Valencia but they weren’t the first. Barcelona actually signed him to a 3-year-deal back in 2011 but after a year playing for the Catalan giants he decided to return, citing the need to be closer to his family. In 2012 as a 14-year-old he competed in the ‘Youth Football Tournament Governor Samara’ held in Russa and was named the best offensive player. Along the way Los Che, with Villalba as the forefront, eliminated Vitesse, Marseille, Chelsea and the Russian national team.

His performances in Russia had alerted a raft of new and old suitors. Atletico Madrid, Elche and Real Betis were all interested in taking Fran as were Barcelona again. Los Culês offered him a chance to to re-join La Masia but he politely declined as he knew how highly they rated him at Valencia and didn’t fancy another trip up north. Prior to Nuno, Unai Emery also singled out Villalba for praise after he had taken charge of one of the academy’s training sessions. In 2013 he was given the Augusto Martinez award which is awarded to the player with the most potential in Valencia.

The club devised a plan with set achievements to allow Fran the opportunity to make the first team squad as soon as possible. He didn’t disappoint in his 45 minute showing against Barakaldo in the Copa del Rey earlier this month. One on-looker said Villalba reminded him of Valencia legend Pablo Aimar as everything the boy touched oozed class.

Valencia have lacked players with creativity this year, especially with Andre Gomes injured and Rodrigo de Paul out of favour under Nuno’s leadership. Fran’s an intelligent footballer who loves to sit just behind the main forward, finding pockets of space and releasing passes immediately as to not slow down the passage of play.

Injuries and a loss of form mean Fran Villalba has been given the chance to finally showcase his talent on the main stage. Everyone associated with the club knows what a talent they have on their hands and how it’s important to protect him, to allow Fran to grow into the player predicted to be the next Valencia superstar. If he manages to get more minutes under Gary Neville it wouldn’t surprise me to see the starlet rewarded with a new deal.

Fran Villalba is on the cusp of doing what he’s always dreamed of: becoming a Valencia regular. As Mr Neville said, now comes the hard work but the early signs are that he’s ready to help rejuvenate this Valencia side into challenging for the Champions League places once again.