On deadline day, Denis Cheryshev made a move from Real Madrid to Valencia on loan until the end of the 2016-17 season.
On the face of it, this loan deal makes sense. A fringe player, struggling for game time at a championship-chasing team, makes a move to a weaker team in an attempt to boost his playing time.
Valencia currently sit 12th in the table, 22 points below Los Blancos and thus loaning them a player does their title bid no harm.
Delve deeper into the story and there is more to this move than meets the eye.
Florentino Perez, Madrid club president, has never been one to shy away from transfer headlines. This is a man who welcomed in the Galacticos era to the Bernabeu and has ruthlessly cast away members of his side that he does not feel fit, for better or for worse.
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But this move is ruthless for other reasons, as the young Russian was not in Zinedine Zidane’s team to begin with.
While the move to Valencia will likely give Cheryshev more minutes, as Gary Neville will be trying everything in his power to find the first league win that has eluded him thus far in his two-month spell, it is a move which, reportedly, the player himself did not want and one that could have, and should have, been different.
The 25-year-old wanted a return to Villarreal where he spent the 2015-16 season and the Yellow Submarine wanted the Russian international back at El Madrigal.
What prevented this move happening was Perez.
Perez did not want Cheryshev at Villarreal, thus he landed at their nearest neighbours, Valencia.
All the pieces were in place for Cheryshev to return to El Madrigal, as reported by Sport. A higher offer was on the table from Villarreal for the services of the Russian but it was turned down by Perez in favour of Los Che.
The reasons behind this rejection are three fold.
The first, most obvious and most rational reason lays on the league table. Villarreal currently sit only three points behind Los Blancos with a massive opportunity to leapfrog the capital side and into the last automatic Champions League qualification spot.
Sending Cheryshev to the Yellow Submarine would strengthen a direct rival, therefore he was not allowed to depart for Castellon.
The second reason, both chronologically and rationally, surrounds Cheryshev’s namesake, Denis Suarez.
Suarez has been Villarreal’s most influential player this season. Since his off-season move from Barcelona, the Spanish youth international has scored three goals and has four assists to his name and while the stats are not glittering, his on-field performances well and truly surpass that.
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The 22-year-old has been so good throughout the first half of the season it had prompted his former club to attempt to bring him back to the Camp Nou. It is well known that Suarez has a buy-back clause in his contract but his displays have stood out so much that Barcelona were willing to go above the €3 million they would spend at the end of the season for him just to have him back quicker.
Had Cheryshev arrived at Villarreal, he would have come as a direct replacement for the outgoing Suarez. Therefore, if Perez had have let him leave, he would be strengthening not just one, but two of his title challengers.
The third reason is one that reeks of pettiness, and if it were the main objection in the head of the president, then fans of the Yellow Submarine will never look at him the same again, while fans all around the world should question his maturity.
Earlier this season, Real Madrid were booted out of the Copa Del Rey for fielding an ineligible player. That player was the man who has just jetted off to Valencia and the reason he was ineligible was for misdemeanours during his time at Villarreal.
Too many yellow cards picked up in El Submarino Amarillo’s charge to the semi-finals of the 2014-15 Copa meant he was ruled out of his next match. Instead of adhering to those rules, then-Real Madrid manager Rafa Benitez chose to field the Russian and the Spanish FA responded by removing them from the cup.
Rumours were rife that Perez believed Villarreal had hidden Cheryshev’s suspension from them and they had unjustly sabotaged his side’s Copa chances.
In light of their lies of omission, Perez refused to let Cheryshev return to El Madrigal as payback for their cup exit.
Of course, any manager should know the eligibility of his players and thus it was not the fault, or the responsibility, of Villarreal to let Real Madrid know about the Russian’s suspension as it was open for all to see. But rather than blaming Benitez, Perez chose to turn his anger to Marcelino’s side.
Through all this, Cheryshev has remained rather silent. He has, in the past, spoken fondly of his time at El Madrigal but has never been one to fan the transfer rumour flames. If indeed he wanted a return to the Yellow Submarine, then it is a shame he could not have his wishes respected. But in professional football, it is not always the choice of the footballer themselves which side they line up for.
Perez blocked the Cheryshev to Villarreal move for two logical and one illogical reason. Whichever took precedence in his mind, no one shall ever know. Fans of the Yellow Submarine will continue to long for the return of the Russian thanks to his exploits last season but at this juncture, Cheryshev to Villarreal is the transfer that should have happened, but did not.
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