The reason why Ben Brereton Diaz didn't perform well in the La Liga

Last summer, Ben Brereton Diaz decided to join La Liga side Villarreal on a free transfer after running down his Blackburn Rovers contract. After scoring 47 goals and providing 16 assists for Blackburn Rovers in the Championship, the 25-year-old centre forward was expected to be the next great striker from Chile after Ivan Zamorano, Marcelo Salas, Alexis Sanchez among other legends. However, the move didn't go well as planned and Ben Brereton Diaz struggled to find the back of the net in the La Liga.

Diaz made fourteen La Liga appearances for the former UEFA Europa League Champions in the first half of the 2023/24 season and could only manage one attempt on goal. After that, he joined Premier League side Sheffield United on a six month loan move and scored six goals in the Premier League in fourteen league matches for the club. Now, Villarreal CEO Fernando Roig has revealed one of the biggest reasons for Diaz facing difficulties in adapting to La Liga, saying,

The reason why Ben Brereton Diaz didn't perform well in the La Liga

"Brereton Diaz was there for a short time and it’s true that he didn’t quite gel. Because of our way of playing, he might not have fit in completely and then he goes to the Premier League, with the experience of having been a very good Championship player."

- Fernando Roig

Now, Ben Brereton Diaz has joined Southampton in a £7 million transfer move from Villarreal in this summer transfer window to replace former Saints striker Che Adams, who joined Italian side Torino on a free transfer. Diaz had a good preseason with Southampton and now aims to showcase his high potential to become one of the most prolific forwards in the Premier League. Although Diaz hasn't scored in the first three league games, the 25-year-old possesses great finishing and his build up play is brilliant inside the box, thus, he needs to adapt to manager Russell Martin's tactical setup and he will be one of the key players for Southampton this season.