Manor Solomon has acknowledged that he did not expect to sign for Villarreal on loan before the summer transfer window closed, having been linked with a sensational return to Elland Road throughout the window.
Crystal Palace appeared the favourites to sign the former Leeds United loanee from Tottenham Hotspur on deadline day before the south London club reportedly pulled out of the transfer despite submitting a deal sheet. A move to Spain instead swiftly materialised, with Spurs announcing the move four hours after the 7pm deadline.
Days earlier, Solomon made the bench for Tottenham's match against Bournemouth and played for the first time in three months during the international break. The Israeli international was impressive in the recent break, before speaking at a press conference on Thursday following his move to La Liga.
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Sitting on a stage in front of the assembled media, alongside fellow new signings Arnau Tenas, Georges Mikautadze and Tani Oluwaseyi, plus club chief executive Fernando Roig Negueroles, Solomon was asked whether he expected to sign so late. "First of all, I'm really happy to be here at Villarreal," Solomon said.
"The transfer happened in the last one hour or two hours of the window, so it was something that I didn't expect. I know that Villarreal were interested in me, but it became really real just in the last few hours."
Before the official presentation began, the players held up shirts with their names and new numbers as they posed for photos together. Solomon will wear the number six shirt, a number more synonymous with defensive players than wingers, with Joe Rodon having it at Leeds.
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He has now explained the choice after sharing a photo of him and Roig Negueroles posing with the shirt pitchside at Estadio de la Cerámica. Captioning a post on his Instagram story, Solomon said it was "the only number left" before pledging he "will turn it into a winger's number".
It is notably the same number former Leeds head coach Javi Gracia wore for the club. Gracia has not worked in football again since being sacked by the Whites two years ago.
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