Lazio And West Ham Weigh Up Somoza Move

The Italian outfit are keen to rescue the 26-year-old as he has failed to win down a regular place during a loan spell with Real Betis.

While the Andalucian club could be willing to cut his temporary stay with them short, Villarreal would only want him back if they were able to sell him straight on.

Somoza is reported to be ready to switch clubs in order to play regularly and would be keen to go to either Italy or England.

Lazio were interested in signing the Argentina international before he went on loan to Betis and are now preparing to step up contacts with the Yellow Submarine.

Talks could begin this week, according to reports in Spain, and if they do then West Ham may be ready to make their interest known in the player.

After joining Villarreal from Vélez Sársfield in 2006, Zomoza made 24 appearances for Manolo Pelegrini's side last term before being loaned out in the summer.

Pellegrini Pleased To Win After "65 Bad Minutes"

Villarreal coach Manuel Pellegrini summed up his side's 4-3 Madrigal win over Deportivo in less than glowing terms.

"We played a very bad 65 minutes, but the other 25 were good," he said.

"The key was that we kept running at their defence, and that we didn't become demoralised.

"But conceding so many goals complicates the possibility of our having a good campaign. Still, we've reached this stage with 35 points, so there's more to be happy than sad about.

"This team remains strong and is still fighting for a Champions League place. We can't talk of crisis because we're generally looking good."

The Chilean boss would not say that the referee played a decisive role in a game that saw his team awarded two penalties to Depor's one.

Opposite number Miguel Angel Lotina, however, was livid with whistler Romero's showing.

Pellegrini Doesn't Want To Get Dramatic

Pellegrini understands that Villarreal are going through a difficult period, but he doesn’t want to take their dip in form out of proportion.

“Because we have lost some matches it doesn’t mean we are in a crisis,” he explained to the press.

“Maybe we generated lots of high expectations for our great start to the season, but because of some bad results, now let downs have been more common.”

Even so, the Chilean coach feels that his team can get back on the right track in the coming weeks, but insists that the result of their clash with Deportivo La Coruna on the weekend is vital.

“If we beat Deportivo on Sunday, we would finish the first round with 35 points, which would be an extraordinary achievement,” he stated.

“Step by step, we will return to our best form.”

Pellegrini also expressed his frustration for his injury concerns, before Villarreal’s Copa del Rey clash with Recreativo on Wednesday.

“We are experiencing lots of injuries, which hasn’t allowed us to count with all our players, and this is always something that affects the team,” he stated.