Of the numerous disappointing signings that Fulham made last summer, André-Frank Zambo Anguissa ranked highly.
The Cottagers paid Marseille a princely £22m for the midfielder, hopeful he would add the type of power and strength that’s required in a Premier League midfield.
Like their season, though, Anguissa failed to get going, neither scoring or assisting in 25 appearances as Fulham returned to the Championship.
They moved Anguissa on this summer, shipping him out to Villarreal on loan and bringing his short stint in London to an end. And it seems that loan move is working out well for all involved.
El Periódico Mediterráneo report Anguissa is impressing everyone at Villarreal, having made a positive start to life with the La Liga side.
He’s featured as a box-to-box midfielder in three of their four games so far and the change in position (the club initially signed him as defensive cover) has given the midfielder a new lease of life.
So much so that the newspaper reports if he maintains his ‘positive’ performances, Villarreal will be keen to activate the purchase option they included in the deal with Fulham.
That’s set at €25m, although it isn’t compulsory, and Villarreal could see that as a ‘bargain’ given the form he’s showing.
It’s suggested the Spanish side would pay that and then even look at selling him on for a profit.
That would suit Fulham, who would presumably be more than happy to get their money back on a midfielder who didn’t come close to making the grade at Craven Cottage.
