Bought from Malaga for around £6m when Ronald Koeman was still manager at Southampton, Juanmi had a very disappointing season for the Saints over the 2015-16 campaign.
Making only 12 league appearances, all from the bench, the Spanish forward quickly decided he needed to go elsewhere to get regular football, and a return to his home country was organised by Claude Puel and company, with Real Sociedad shelling out just over £4m for his services.
While not a guaranteed starter, the 23-year-old has already made 15 appearances for the La Liga side, scoring four goals along the way, including two in one Copa del Rey game, and, most importantly, he’s enjoying himself.
Speaking to Marca on Monday, the player was asked about his time in England, and whether he was annoyed at the lack of opportunities he got at St Mary’s Stadium last season.
He said: “From that experience I take that the negatives help you improve. Then, I happily accepted Real Sociedad’s offer to come here, and I’m very happy.”
With the likes of Carlos Vela, Willian José and Mikel Oyarzabal all performing well, the former Southampton forward will have to bide his time before getting regular football, yet there’s a feeling this is different to his time in the south of England.
As long as he’s happy…
