Barcelona had a raft of exits during the summer transfer window, but one that went somewhat under the radar was that of Ilias Akhomach. The 19-year-old had been very highly-rated within La Masia, but opted to depart in favour of a move to La Liga rivals Villarreal.
When Xavi Hernandez arrived at Barcelona in November 2021, Ilias had hoped that it would see his place in the squad become more prominent, but that did not prove to be the case. In the end, as he told Relevo, he felt that it was the correct decision to leave at the end of his contract.
“I have no complaints towards Barcelona. These are decisions that have to be made. The career of the footballer is very long. In the last year in the subsidiary, I felt something inside me that told me: ‘I have to get out of here, because I have all the qualities to be able to explode in another team’. I don’t mean the lack of opportunities, because I was also in the first team for a while, but I felt I wanted to leave.
“It was hard, but it’s a decision I had to make. I think it is the right one. Who knows what may happen in the future, but for right now, I’m very happy at Villarreal.”
Ilias has been delighted with his start to life at Villarreal, and especially since Pacheta has taken the reins as head coach. He was full of praise for the veteran manager.
“He’s a magnificent coach. Because of my personality, I will always go to death with the coach who is there, and Pacheta has given us joy and confidence. I’m very happy with him. When I have minutes, like against Las Palmas, I will try to make the most of them.”
Ilias will hope that he can start to deliver on his potential during his time at Villarreal, and in the process, it could be that he ends up making Barcelona regret letting him leave.
