Overview
- Villarreal said it reached a deal to hire 38-year-old Iñigo Pérez to replace Marcelino and scheduled a formal introduction at the club.
- The contract has been reported as lasting three years and is meant to provide stability after back-to-back Champions League qualification.
- Pérez is a former midfielder who retired in 2022, rose from Rayo Vallecano assistant to head coach in 2024, and took Rayo to this season’s Conference League final.
- Pérez’s Rayo lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace in that final, and he originally assumed the Rayo job when Andoni Iraola moved to Bournemouth and work-permit issues prevented Iraola’s staff from following.
- Villarreal finished third in LaLiga last season and will enter consecutive Champions League campaigns under new leadership, a change that could shape the club’s tactics, player roles and transfer plans next season.