Blues have today confirmed the departure of attacking midfielder Fran Villalba who has completed a loan move to the second division Spanish side, Almeria, with an option to buy in the summer.

The loan move comes as no shock as the playmaker has struggled to make an impact on the Blues side since arriving in the summer. With 17 appearances and 1 goal to his name this season, this appears to have been in the pipeline for some time with Fran not making the Blues starting line up for a long period of time.

This may be the last we have seen of Fran in a Blues shirt with it being more than likely the move is going to be made permanent in the summer.

With early promise at the start of the season, this transfer will be ultimately remembered as a disappointment with the Spanish native being touted as the missing link that Blues desperately needed in the summer.

The transfer to Blues in the summer filled the fans with excitement and early stages seemed to demonstrate a real coup from Valencia when taking into consideration the factor Fran came in on a free transfer.

Ultimately Fran appears to be a victim of the difficult transition from European to English football with it being widely suggested that the playmaker struggled to adapt.

We would like to thank Fran for his efforts during his time at Blues and wish him all the best in his future career.

What could have been…

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