Rayo Vallecano appoint Beñat San José as head coach | OneFootball

Rayo Vallecano have appointed Beñat San José as head coach to replace Íñigo Pérez, the club said in a statement this morning. Jagoba Arrasate had been strongly linked, but San José is the final choice.

He had renewed with Eibar on 2 June, but Rayo have paid his 400,000 euro release clause to secure him.

San José began in Real Sociedad’s academy sides, spending four seasons in San Sebastián. At 32 he moved to Saudi Arabia, first leading Al-Ittihad’s under-21s then the senior team, winning the Saudi King’s Cup in 2013.

He took charge of one match at Al-Ettifaq, then switched to South America. There he managed Antofagasta, Bolívar and Universidad Católica, lifting three trophies across those clubs.

Later came Al-Nasr, where he oversaw only six games before joining KAS Eupen. He reached the Belgian Cup semi-finals and delivered the best league finish in the club’s history. In 2022 he returned to Latin America with Mazatlán, then had a second spell at Bolívar before taking over at Atlas.

He signed for Eibar in February 2025 on a two-season deal and emerged as one of the revelations in LaLiga Hypermotion, winning 45% of his matches. His first campaign pulled the team away from relegation danger and produced the best second half in the club’s history, and this year they fought for the play-offs until the final day. He now steps into his first LaLiga season aiming to maintain that level.

Source: Superdeporte