Ben Brereton Diaz is excited over his first days with Villarreal.

The Chile striker has joined on a free transfer from Blackburn Rovers.

He said, “I want to thank the people for the welcome they have given me. It's my fourth day at the club and I feel at home. The fans have given me a lot of love on social media. I'm really looking forward to getting started. It's a big step in my career. It's a great achievement for me to play for such a big club like this.

“It was a big decision to come to Spain. It's a different kind of football. In just a few training sessions, I've realised that there is a lot of quality here. The Championship is a competition that is very physical, but here the training sessions are very competitive as well.

“I've spoken to the manager and I want to play wherever I think I can help the most. I can play on both wings or in the centre. I did that at Blackburn and I can do it here as well.

“My aim is to get to know the club well and try to play as much as possible. I'm a striker and numbers count. I want to contribute goals and assists at Villarreal".

Brereton Diaz admits that he is learning Spanish: “My mother is Chilean. She came to England as a child. She didn't speak much English. I've always been aware that she was Chilean. And since Chile called me to represent them, I didn't think about it. It's been easy. Coming here is going to help me because of the cultural link between Chile and Spain. I'm learning Spanish and I'm very happy to be able to do it."

Villarreal chief Fernando Roig Negueroles also said: “We are happy with his signing. He is a player who has scored a lot of goals in the Championship. He is versatile and can play both on the left wing and as a striker. He is a player we have been following for a long time. We are happy that he is playing for Villarreal and we hope he will have a very successful spell at the club."