Rulli insists on returning to Villarreal

The hero of Gdansk wants to return to the club.

When a Villarreal fan hears the name Gerónimo Rulli, they can't help but smile, and for good reason.

The Argentine goalkeeper joined the club in 2020 for 5 million euros plus variables. He was supposed to compete with Sergio Asenjo for the starting position in goal for the Yellow Submarine. Asenjo, the experienced goalkeeper and Unai Emery's trusted choice at the time, was selected for La Liga matches. Rulli, on the other hand, was the starting goalkeeper for the Copa del Rey and the Europa League.

It was in the European competition where Rulli became a legend for the club after scoring a penalty and saving the decisive one, which crowned Villarreal CF as champions of the Europa League.

In January 2023, Villarreal announced the sale of Argentine goalkeeper Gerónimo Rulli to Ajax for a fee around 10 million euros. As of today, Gerónimo doesn't appear satisfied with his situation at the Dutch club, where he has only played 7 matches this year, conceding 12 goals and keeping a clean sheet on just 2 occasions.

It's not the first time that Rulli's return to Villarreal has been considered, but the operation, in our view, seems unfeasible. The asking price is too high for a veteran goalkeeper (32 years old) who doesn't fit into the club's strategy of rejuvenating the squad in this summer transfer window. Players like Diego Conde (25 years old) and Rubén Blanco (28 years old) are the options being considered by the club to fill the gap left by Pepe Reina and compete with Filip Jörgensen for the starting spot in goal for the Yellow Submarine. la operación, a nuestro entender, parece inviable. Un precio muy alto para un portero veterano (32 años) que no encaja en la política de rejuvenecimiento de la plantilla que el club está llevando en este mercado veraniego. Porteros como Diego Conde (25 años) y Rubén Blanco (28 años) son las opciones que baraja el club para rellenar el hueco de Pepe Reina y competir contra Filip Jörgensen por la titularidad en la portería amarilla.