David Sullivan regrets Birmingham City did not give Luciano Figueroa a chance.
Birmingham City supremo David Sullivan regrets the club did not give Luciano Figueroa more of a chance to St Andrews.Figueroa was signed by The Blues for £2.5 million from Rosario Central in 2004, but he was given just a few minutes of first team action before his contract was cancelled four months later.
Following his departure from Birmingham, he moved to Cruz Azul in Mexico before joining Spanish outfit Villarreal - where he has shown just what he is capable of.
He has also become a firm fixture in the Argentine national squad and looks every bit an international-calibre striker.
Sullivan now rues the way The Blues treated Figueroa.
"I find the whole Figueroa incident very depressing," admitted Sullivan.
"I looked an utter mug for suggesting him to the club and I felt personally responsible when everybody said he was useless and we should cut our losses and get rid of him.
"I think the lesson to learn is that if you sign a foreign player, you need to give him time to adjust to the pace of the English game.
"Also, I start to think - and I realise that this is a dangerous thing - that my judgment is quite good, so maybe I should have been stronger in fighting the player's corner.
"That said and done, it is no good moaning about what might have been. What's done is done and we just have to get on with it and find even better players.
"Though I do feel my initial judgment in bringing him to the club has now been vindicated and I would love to have seen him playing with Emile Heskey, finishing off all the chances created.
"Quite clearly, Mr Figueroa is an exceptional finisher and goalscorer."
