Marcelino confident Eric Bailly will adapt immediately back at Villarreal | OneFootball

Villarreal have made their first move of the mid-season transfer market to bring in former defender Eric Bailly.

The Ivory Coast international has completed a move back to Castellon as a free agent following his exit from Turkish side Besiktas at the end of 2023.

The Super Lig side opted to terminate Bailly’s contract, which was scheduled to run until the end of the 2023/24 domestic season, after joining from Manchester United in September.

Bailly was initially suspended by the club, following an internal disciplinary investigation alongside other players, before the decision to offload him.

Villarreal moved quickly to bring Bailly back into the Yellow Submarine squad, as part of an 18 month contract at the club, to bolster their defensive options.

Bailly made 47 appearances across all competitions in his first spell at Villarreal, from 2014 to 2016, before joining United, and Villarreal boss Marcelino is confident he can have an immediate impact back at the Estadio de la Ceramica.

“The winter market is complicated because it’s in the middle of the competition and we must take into account the time to adapt, and that’s not the case with Bailly,” as per quotes from Diario AS.