{"id":2346,"date":"2026-06-01T12:06:49","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T12:06:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=2346"},"modified":"2026-06-01T12:06:49","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T12:06:49","slug":"villarreal-hires-rayos-inigo-perez-as-coach-ahead-of-another-champions-league-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=2346","title":{"rendered":"Villarreal hires Rayo’s I\u00f1igo P\u00e9rez as coach ahead of another Champions League run"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\"\"<\/figure>\n\n
Rayo\u2019s head coach Inigo Perez gives instructions during the Europa Conference League final soccer match between Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig, Germany, Wednesday, May 27, 2026. (AP Photo\/Ebrahim Noroozi)<\/figcaption>\n<\/figure>\n

MADRID \u2014 Villarreal said Monday it reached a deal to hire coach I\u00f1igo P\u00e9rez, who led fellow Spanish club Rayo Vallecano to the final of the Conference League<\/a> this season.<\/p>

Read more French Open slaps Vallejo with a $65,000 fine over sexist umpire remarks<\/a><\/p>\n

P\u00e9rez is set to sign a three-year contract with Villarreal, which finished third in the Spanish league and will play in the Champions League for a second straight season.<\/p>\n

Villarreal was eliminated in the league phase of the Champions League last season, its first in the top European club competition since it reached the semifinals in 2021-22. It will be the first time Villarreal plays back-to-back seasons in the Champions League.<\/p>\n

The 38-year-old P\u00e9rez, a former midfielder who retired in 2022, will replace Marcelino<\/a> , who announced late last season that he would not stay in charge of the team.<\/p>

Read more A Democrat in Iowa tests whether attacking Schumer pays off<\/a><\/p>\n

P\u00e9rez\u2019s Rayo lost 1-0 to Crystal Palace in the final of the third-tier Conference League.<\/p>\n

P\u00e9rez was an assistant at Rayo and took over the main job in 2024 after not being able to accompany then coach Andoni Iraola when he moved to Bournemouth in England because of work permit issues.<\/p>

Read more What to know about California\u2019s messy governor\u2019s race<\/a><\/p>\n

The new Villarreal coach will be officially introduced on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Villarreal has reached a deal to hire coach I\u00f1igo P\u00e9rez, who led fellow Spanish club Rayo Vallecano to the final of the Conference League this season<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2344,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-interesting"],"yoast_head":"\nVillarreal hires Rayo's I\u00f1igo P\u00e9rez as coach ahead of another Champions League run - Moving Insider USA<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/movinginsiderusa.com\/?p=2346\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Villarreal hires Rayo's I\u00f1igo P\u00e9rez as coach ahead of another Champions League run - 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