Beñat Turrientes, Íñigo Pérez's missed Rayo signing | OneFootball

The Real Sociedad midfielder has revealed that he came very close to leaving on loan to the Vallecas side

Beñat Turrientes has broken his silence about one of the most uncertain episodes of his sporting career. In an interview with Radio MARCA Donostia, the Beasain-born midfielder admitted to going through moments of severe doubt during Sergio Francisco's spell at Real Sociedad, a situation of exclusion that seriously led him to consider a change of scenery. After difficult months in which he even came to doubt his ability to establish himself at the top level — still marked by tough moments such as the Europa League clash in Rome, where he came to think "that maybe I wasn't good enough" —, the player's inner circle ultimately pushed him to seek playing time away from San Sebastián to prove his true level in the top flight.

It was in that climate of uncertainty that the figure of Íñigo Pérez and Rayo Vallecano emerged strongly. Turrientes himself confirmed that he had direct contact with the red sash coach, who managed to win him over to lead Vallecano's midfield during the second half of the season: "I've suffered quite a lot, I'm a Real Sociedad man and I never wanted to leave, but I felt I needed to go out and prove that I could play here. I had several offers from Spanish top-flight clubs, one of them was Íñigo Pérez's Rayo, and after speaking with him he convinced me to go there for the second half of the season". With the move well on track and the midfielder convinced about wearing the sash, Rayo's sporting management came close to securing a top-level technical and combination-minded profile to strengthen its system.

However, the player's fate took a radical turn in just forty-eight hours due to changes in the dugout in San Sebastián. Sergio Francisco's dismissal and the subsequent arrival of the new coach brought his move to the capital to a sudden halt: "Two days later Rino arrived, and in the very first training session he told me I was going to be an important player for him". The new coach's faith in him — together with the arrival of Pellegrino Matarazzo — completely revived the academy graduate's fortunes, as he went from having his bags packed for Vallecas to becoming a key player for the team, earning a starting spot in the Copa del Rey final and fulfilling the "dream come true" of lifting a trophy with the club of his life.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇪🇸 here.