Leicester City transfer news: Vicente Iborra signs for Villareal

Leicester City midfielder Vicente Iborra has signed for Villareal on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee.

Signed for £12 million from Sevilla last season, the Spaniard made a total of 37 appearances during his time at the King Power Stadium, scoring four goals and assisting two.

When he was brought in under Craig Shakespeare, there were big expectations of the midfielder because he had played at the highest level for years and won three consecutive UEFA Europa League titles while doing so as well.

However, it just didn’t work out for him in the East Midlands. Iborra could never really able to find a permanent place in Claude Puel’s preferred XI, mainly because he likes his team young – Wes Morgan and Kasper Schmeichel being an exception to that, of course.

LEICESTER, ENGLAND – AUGUST 28: Rachid Ghezzal of Leicester City (left) celebrates with team mate Vicente Iborra of Leicester City (right) after scoring his team’s fourth goal during the Carabao Cup Second Round match between Leicester City and Fleetwood Town at The King Power Stadium on August 28, 2018 in Leicester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

Puel did give him a fair few games in his first season at the club as Iborra started 14 times in the league for the Frenchman. This season, however, he started just six games, with three of those starts coming in the Carabao Cup.

A move away was therefore the best option for Iborra and Leicester. At 30, he had little chance of being able to adapt to the fast-paced nature of football in England, whereas in Spain, he’d now be able to play every week without any problem because of the discernible difference in intensity.

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Yes, you could say that maybe he had a couple of years of Premier League football in him. Maybe Puel could have shown slightly more faith in him. Maybe.

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