- 12 hours ago
Could Kubo leave Villarreal in January and return to Madrid?
Martin Macdonald
- Updated: 23 May 2023 08:47 CDT
- 3 min read
Takefusa Kubo, one of the most promising wonderkids in Europe, is currently plying his trade at Villarreal on loan from Real Madrid.
After starring for FC Tokyo in Japan, Kubo earned a well-publicised move to Real Madrid in 2019, with Los Blancos snatching him up from under the noses of Clasico rivals, Barcelona.
| Stat | 2019/20 | 2020/21 |
|---|---|---|
| Appearances | 35 | 10 |
| Goals | 4 | 0 |
| Assists | 4 | 0 |
| Dribbles P90 | 2.5 | 4.7 |
| Crosses P90 | 3.2 | 3.7 |
| Shots P90 | 2.1 | 3.1 |
Although it was initially believed Kubo would feature for Madrid’s Castilla side or even the u19s last season, he was handed the opportunity for first-team senior football at Mallorca.
In the 2019/20 La Liga season, he made 23 starts for the islanders, scoring four goals and assisting a further four.
He returned to Madrid this summer with his next move unclear. But, with plenty of suitors circling, Villarreal won the race to take him on loan for the 2020/21 campaign, with Real Madrid trusting that the player would receive significant playing time in order to aid his continued development.
However, the young Japanese wonderkid has started just one game in the league this season, away at Cadiz before being brought off around the hour mark.
So far, he has accumulated just 173 minutes of football in La Liga, though has featured more in the Europa League with 255 minutes under his belt.
Marca reports that Real Madrid, and Kubo, are not happy with his situation at Villarreal, with the Spanish champions looking into the possibility of recalling him in January.
However, as Villarreal have paid a £2.2m (€2.5m) loan fee, they would have to agree to release the player back and negotiate some of that fee back.
Where could Kubo go?
The team already appearing the most likely destination for Kubo is Betis, who are currently coached by Manuel Pellegrini.
Despite having aspirations of qualifying for Europe this season under the Chilean, they are down in 12th in La Liga, having won just four of their opening 10 games.
They have conceded nine goals in their past two games, losing 5-2 against Barcelona before being thumped 4-0 by Athletic last weekend.
Goalscoring has been a problem as well as the leaky defence, as they have scored just six times in those 10 fixtures.
Pellegrini received a further headache recently with the news that one of his chief playmakers, Sergio Canales, could miss up to two months of action after suffering a hamstring injury while on international duty with Spain.
Kubo could be brought in as an initial replacement for Canales, while they could link-up when the former Madrid man returns in January.
