After moving from the Basque Country to Valencia as a kid, Hugo Guillamón has been at Valencia CF since 2009.
Guillamón made his first-team debut off the bench against Real Sociedad in February 2020 and has remained in the Los Che squad since.
The last few years have been underwhelming at the Mestalla, with two ninth-placed and a thirteenth-place finish in the last three seasons for a club well-known for their European participation.
With Peter Lim’s ownership, Valencia have made various dubious decisions.
In his first summer, Lim sacked manager Juan Antonio Pizzi and replaced him with Nuno Espírito Santo, closely connected to Lim’s friend and super-agent Jorge Mendes.
In the following years, fans were concerned with Mendes’ involvement, alongside the unsuccessful managerial spell of Gary Neville.
Marcelino managed to bring positivity after securing a return to the UEFA Champions League football alongside a Copa del Rey victory.
However, he was sacked for publicly criticising Lim.
Valencia are well-known for their ability to produce exceptional talent through the academy, such as World Cup winners David Silva and Raúl Albiol.
A successful academy has been a requirement for Los Che under Peter Lim, due to the quantity and quality of their sales.
Valencia have seen the likes of André Gomes, Paco Alcácer, Dani Parejo and academy superstar Ferran Torres all departing without suitable replacements.
Captain José Gayà has been a staple during Peter Lim’s ownership, racking up nearly 300 appearances alongside 17 caps for Spain.
Nevertheless, it’s the current crop of youngsters looking to turn the club’s fortunes around, with Hugo Guillamón at the forefront.
Guillamón is at the heart of Valencia’s midfield under former legendary midfielder Gennaro Gattuso.
After Los Che’s Copa del Rey final appearance last season under José Bordalás, the Italian manager has shown promising signs so far.
With the youngest squad in Europe’s top five leagues, weighted by minutes played, Valencia have won three and lost three of their first six La Liga matches this season.
Guillamón has managed three assists already, earning another call-up to join Luis Enrique’s Spanish national team.
This tactical analysis, in the form of a scout report, will look at Hugo Guillamón’s role at Valencia and identify the qualities that could convince Luis Enrique to select the 22-year-old for the World Cup in the winter.
Hugo Guillamón Style Of Play & Player Profile
Hugo Guillamón (182cm/6’0”, 65kg/143lbs) is a versatile right-footed player, currently being deployed as the pivot in Gennaro Gattuso’s Valencia team.
The Spaniard is the metronome in the Los Che midfield, completing the most passes in the Valencia squad.
His security and composure in possession suit Gattuso’s ball-dominant approach.
However, Guillamón was originally a centre-back, and his transition to midfield has not been perfectly smooth.
The 22-year-old broke into the Valencia first-team as a centre-back, replacing former Manchester City defender Eliaquim Mangala to make his debut.
Barring the occasional appearance in a double pivot, Guillamón’s youth career was spent at the heart of defences for Valencia and Spain.
Guillamón has registered over 50 caps at youth level for La Furia Roja.
His first full season in the Los Che first-team was as a centre-back for Javi Gracia and then his interim successor, Voro.
However, this soon changed under Josê Bordalás, as the former Getafe manager brought the Spaniard into midfield.
Hugo Guillamón Heat Map
Although Bordalás also relied on Guillamón to fill in at centre-back, the Valencia star was largely deployed in the double six, 4-4-2 associated with Bordalás.
The set-up is very organised, designed to control space with lots of aggression.
