Four players from Elche CF were on loan to teams in the First RFEF and returned to the franciverde club after the commitments with their temporary clubs ended last weekend. Jose Salinas, Jony Álamo, Mourad El Ghezouani, and Manu Justo are poised to rejoin the Elche setup, though June 30 could bring departures for some of them.
Among the quartet, Salinas stands out as the most likely to break into the first team of the top division next season. A fresh loan for Jony could be explored, while Mourad and Manu Justo are expected to see their contracts expire without renewal.
Salinas enjoyed an outstanding season with Callosa de Segura’s left back Unionistas de Salamanca, a club that finished seventh in Group I of the First RFEF and sat just one point away from a promotion playoff to the Segunda División. Salinas played 3,193 minutes across 37 appearances, scoring six goals and providing four assists. He also participated in both King’s Cup matches, including a clash with Elche.
The Franjiverde enterprise renewed his contract last March through 2025. At twenty years old, he now has the opportunity to make a push for a first-team role. The club’s plan is that if Mojica remains, Salinas could become the second left back in the squad and he is expected to begin pre-season training under the club’s direction.
Jony Álamo, by contrast, endured a difficult season. After a promising debut in the prior campaign, injuries limited his progression. He went on loan to Cultural Leonesa in January and struggled there as well, featuring in eleven games for a total of 451 minutes. He has always been regarded as one of the club’s top prospects, yet his development has paused over the last year and a half.
The Cartagena midfielder is twenty years old and has one more season left on his contract. Elche must decide whether to bring him into pre-season with Francisco’s group, pursue a new loan, or negotiate the termination of his contract.
Beyond Elche’s immediate plans, Mourad El Ghezouani and Manu Justo contributed to a strong season away from the club. The Moroccan striker stood out for Alcoyano under coach Vicente Parras, contributing to a campaign that ended in eleventh place in the group standings of the First RFEF II. Mourad appeared in thirty-four matches, scoring seven goals in 2,937 minutes, with three more goals across cup competitions.
Manu Justo featured in thirty-one league games for Racing de Santander, scoring five goals. He accumulated 1,052 minutes for the Cantabrian team, which topped Group I of the First RFEF and earned direct promotion to the Segunda División.
Mourad is twenty-four years old and Manu Justo is twenty-six. With both players’ contracts expiring, it is highly probable that their associations with Elche will not be renewed, sealing the end of their spells at the club. They spent more time on loan than with the first team, shaping their careers away from Elche’s main squad.
In summary, the four players who left the club on loan to First RFEF sides—Salinas, Álamo, Mourad El Ghezouani, and Manu Justo—have returned to Elche CF after the termination of their loan spells. The next steps will involve assessing Salinas as a potential first-team option, weighing new loan opportunities for Álamo, and confirming the contractual conclusions for Mourad and Justo as their Elche chapters close. The club remains focused on a strategic pre-season plan guided by Francisco, aiming to build depth and sustain competitiveness in the upcoming campaign. [citation: Elche CF communications department, season review].