Fran Pérez faces competition at Rayo Vallecano as Ilias Akhomach ‘to join’ on loan | OneFootball

Fran Pérez could face a fresh squeeze for minutes at Rayo Vallecano, with Ilias Akhomach expected to strengthen the right flank. According to Superdeporte, Rayo have lined up the Villarreal winger on a loan without an option to buy.

The Valencia academy graduate has featured regularly in his first months in Vallecas, though he is not a starter under Íñigo Pérez. He has been used more often in the Conference League and has already played 29 games in all competitions, scoring six and assisting one.

Those returns exceed any of his seasons at Valencia. Even so, extra competition on the right would intensify the fight for minutes in the months ahead.

Akhomach has struggled for minutes at Villarreal this season given Marcelino’s attacking options. He is set to seek minutes at Rayo after returning from a serious knee injury.

Pérez left Valencia last summer after failing to cement a place under Rubén Baraja, then Carlos Corberán. The winger, raised in Paterna, departed Mestalla in search of continuity and a bigger role in the top flight.

For many in València, his exit felt bittersweet, pride in a homegrown talent mixed with the sense that a new setting could help him grow. Vallecas offered a style that fits his direct qualities.

Source: Superdeporte