Villarreal faces summer reckoning as coach Iñigo Pérez evaluates loaned players and youth promotions
Villarreal returns to training in early July as coach Inigo Perez prepares to decide on loaned players, confirm Carlos Romero and promote academy talent.
Villarreal will reopen its training facilities in the second week of July with a series of roster decisions awaiting the new coaching staff. The club has already confirmed Carlos Romero will rejoin the first-team roster, but a larger group of players on loan will require individual assessment. New head coach Iñigo Pérez arrives with the task of balancing immediate squad needs with long-term development plans as the club shapes its roster for the coming season.
Carlos Romero secured for next season
Carlos Romero’s place in Villarreal’s plans is already settled ahead of the new coach’s arrival. The club confirmed Romero will be integrated into the first-team roster after his loan spell, making him the first returning loanee to have a guaranteed role. That decision was taken prior to Pérez’s appointment, giving the coach one clear personnel foundation as he begins his preseason evaluations.
Romero’s confirmation reduces the number of immediate decisions the coaching staff must make but also raises expectations for his contribution. The club will monitor his adaptation to Pérez’s methods during the early training sessions and in preseason matches. Romero’s case sets a precedent for how Villarreal intends to blend returning loanees with internal promotions.
Loaned players returning from Primera assignments
A significant portion of Villarreal’s decision-making workload comes from players who spent the season on loan in LaLiga. Names such as Ramón Terrats, Thiago Fernández, Álex Forés and Ilias Akhomach return with varying experiences and profiles. Terrats featured for Espanyol, while Thiago Fernández and Álex Forés spent the campaign at Real Oviedo and Ilias Akhomach played for Rayo Vallecano.
Each of these players will present the coaching staff with different questions regarding readiness and fit. Some arrive with first-team minutes in Spain’s top flight that can translate into immediate depth for Villarreal. Others will need tailored evaluation to determine whether their development trajectories align with the club’s tactical and physical demands.
The coaching team must weigh recent playing time, positional needs and long-term potential when deciding who joins the preseason group. For some, another loan could be the preferred route to secure regular minutes; for others, a place in the squad might provide the next step in their progression.
Second-division loanees and development prospects
Alongside those who returned from Primera are a number of players who spent the season in Segunda, and their futures are equally varied. Dani Requena, Víctor Moreno, Thiago Ojeda and Toni Tamarit completed spells at clubs such as Córdoba, Cultural Leonesa and Mirandés. Their time in the second tier allowed them to gather competitive minutes and experience the physical demands of senior football.
Decisions for these players will hinge on whether Villarreal sees them as near-term contributors or candidates for further loan development. Segunda exposure can be a strong indicator that a player is ready to handle professional challenges, but the club must also consider squad balance and playing style compatibility. The coming weeks will determine whether these loanees enter pre-season, find temporary moves, or explore permanent transfers.
Villarreal’s sporting directors will likely consult with Pérez and the technical staff to map individualized development plans. Those plans could include structured loan moves with specific playing-time guarantees or integration into the B team as a stepping stone to the first squad.
Cantera to shoulder pre-season during World Cup absences
Villarreal will lean on its cantera for the early stages of preseason, a necessity driven by the absence of up to seven first-team players participating in the World Cup. That gap presents a practical opportunity for academy graduates to train and feature alongside senior professionals. The club expects several standout performers from the filial side to be assessed closely during this period.
The extended presence of youth players in training will allow the coaching staff to see who is ready to make the progression to the first team. Tactical adaptability, physical readiness and mental maturity will all be under scrutiny. For many young prospects, preseason minutes will be the most important audition they receive before the competitive season begins.
Villarreal’s long-term model has emphasized internal development, and this pre-season window provides a live laboratory for that approach. The coaching staff will use matches and training metrics to determine which academy members merit continued involvement or targeted loan placements.
Iñigo Pérez faces selection and roster-building task
Iñigo Pérez inherits a roster with clear bones but numerous pending judgments on loan returns and youth promotions. While the club has pre-decided some cases, most choices remain his responsibility. Pérez must evaluate players across multiple dimensions: tactical fit, physical condition, personality, and potential resale or loan value.
His early decisions will influence Villarreal’s transfer strategy for the rest of the summer. Choosing to keep certain loanees will reduce the club’s need to recruit externally, while letting others depart could free resources for targeted signings. Pérez must balance short-term competitiveness with the club’s commitment to promoting youth and developing talent through measured playing minutes.
Open communication with the sporting director and academy coaches will be essential. Pérez will need to establish a clear hierarchy and playing philosophy quickly so that players understand their roles and the club can execute sensible loan or transfer plans.
Timeline and procedural steps before season kick-off
Villarreal’s timeline is straightforward on paper but complex in execution: the squad reports in early July, undergoes fitness and tactical drills, and then proceeds into a block of friendlies and training camps. The club will use these fixtures to test returning loanees and to evaluate academy players in match conditions. Those performances will shape final decisions ahead of competitive matches.
Administrative matters—contract statuses, loan clauses and potential buy-back or sell-on arrangements—will run in parallel with coaching assessments. Villarreal’s recruitment and legal teams will need to align on any departures or new signings to avoid last-minute complications. Early-season roster registration deadlines make timely resolutions important for both club planning and player career trajectories.
Stakeholders within the club have signaled that a balanced approach is preferred, combining experienced reinforcements with internal promotions. How that balance materializes will depend largely on the assessments conducted during the opening weeks of Perez’s tenure.
Villarreal’s preseason will provide the clearest roadmap for who remains in the immediate picture and who needs a new environment to continue their development. The club’s public communications are expected to reflect changes once decisions are finalized.
The coming weeks will reveal how Villarreal reconciles its compact transfer plans, the confirmed return of Carlos Romero, and the prospects from the academy with the manager’s tactical blueprint. The club’s ability to reach timely conclusions will shape not only the composition of the squad but also its readiness for the challenges of the season ahead.
Villarreal enters the summer with clear tasks ahead: finalize the futures of multiple loaned players, integrate confirmed returns and elevate promising youth, all while providing Iñigo Pérez the working group he needs to prepare competitively. The early July restart will be the first major test of those plans and will set the tone for the club’s campaign.
