MADRID (AP) – Villarreal announced Monday that they have reached an agreement to hire coach Iñigo Perez, who led fellow Spanish club Rayo Vallecano to a league title. conference league finals This season.
Perez will sign a three-year contract with Villarreal, who finished third in the Spanish league and will play in the Champions League for the second consecutive season.
Villarreal lost in the Champions League last season, but this is their first in Europe’s top club competition since reaching the semi-finals in the 2021-22 season. This will be the first time Villarreal will play consecutive seasons in the Champions League.
Perez, 38, is a former midfielder who will retire in 2022. Successor to Marcelinoannounced late last season that he would no longer coach the team.
Perez’s Rayo lost to Crystal Palace 0-1 in the Third Division Conference League final.
Perez was an assistant at Rayo, but due to work permit issues he was unable to accompany then-manager Andoni Iraola when he moved to England’s Bournemouth, so he took over in 2024.
Villarreal’s new manager is expected to officially take over on Tuesday.
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