Carlos Maciá, Villarreal's bargain that threatens Comesaña's spot

Villarreal CF

5

Carlos Macia
440.000€+50.000€    -

J1

MD

00

Villarreal's draw at El Sardinero left some doubts, but it also brought a name to keep a close eye on: Carlos Maciá. Íñigo Pérez turned to the 17-year-old midfielder in the second half, and his presence suited the Yellow Submarine especially well.

Maciá played a little over half an hour and provided exactly what Villarreal needed: composure on the ball, calm in circulation and a lot of work when it was time to recover possession. His performance did not go unnoticed and confirmed the good feelings he had already shown during pre-season.

The young midfielder doesn't need to be involved constantly in spectacular actions to make an impact. He's a player who can bring balance to the team, offer himself for the build-up and cover plenty of ground, traits that could fit perfectly with Íñigo Pérez's idea.

First warning for Santi Comesaña

2

Comesaña
6.030.000€+480.000€    4

J1

MD

00

And here is one of the most interesting angles for Fantasy. Santi Comesaña started the season as a starter alongside Pape Gueye, but his match against Racing was far from perfect. The midfielder committed the penalty that allowed the Cantabrian side to go ahead, and he also wasn't particularly precise in his passing.

Maciá's introduction gave another boost to the midfield and represents a first warning for Comesaña. Of course, talking right now about a definitive change in the pecking order would be premature, but the academy product has already shown that he can genuinely compete for a spot and not just fill out matchday squads.

The club itself considers Maciá one of its big bets for the future. Villarreal recently renewed the player until 2031 and, even though he still wears the reserve team shirt for now, his momentum is fully that of a first-team player. Íñigo Pérez has also highlighted this summer the level of his young players and their willingness to be given opportunities.

The Champions League could multiply his opportunities

There's another factor that makes Carlos Maciá especially interesting for Fantasy managers: the schedule.

Villarreal will have to juggle LaLiga this season with the Champions League, and once the weeks with matches every few days begin, rotations will be practically unavoidable. Pape Gueye and Comesaña won't be able to play absolutely everything, and that's where Maciá appears as a natural alternative for any of the double-pivot positions.

It doesn't mean he'll immediately become an undisputed starter, but he does look like one of the Yellow Submarine squad players with the best chances of building up appearances, getting occasional starts and logging important minutes as the season progresses.

And in Fantasy, you often don't need to find only undisputed starters. You also have to get ahead of the market and sign players whose role could grow before their price shoots up.

A real Fantasy bargain for his price

Precisely the price is one of Maciá's big attractions right now. On platforms like Comunio, the price doesn't reach 500,000 euros, and on Biwenger he's still below a million euros, a very low figure considering the potential he could have during the season.

We're looking at a deal with very little financial risk and plenty of room for value to rise. If he continues to come on from the bench, keeps the good feelings going and starts to receive some starts, his value could grow quickly.

That said, patience. Maciá is only 17 years old and still needs to earn a definite place within the rotation. But that's exactly why this could be the right moment to back him. Waiting for him to become a starter could mean arriving too late.

By context, quality, price and the European calendar, Carlos Maciá currently has many of the ingredients we're looking for in a Fantasy bargain. A cheap player with room to grow who has already sent the first warning to Santi Comesaña. We would, of course, keep a close watch on him in the market.