Elche CF’s Young Striker and Pre-season Developments
Murad Daoudi, a forward with Spanish-Moroccan roots, is a 24-year-old prospect who trained with the Elche first team during pre-season just as the management planned. Yet his path at the club has included a shift toward the youth system, with the club deciding not to renew his contract on the level sought after, sending him to continue his development with the subsidiary. The situation reflects a broader strategy to assess potential first-team readiness while balancing the needs of the reserve squad and its long-term plans. The club has not publicly announced a definitive plan for Daoudi beyond the current season, and the outcome remains contingent on performances, negotiations, and the interests of teams observing his progress.
Daoudi has not served as a substitute for Ilicitano or Elche’s first team in official matches this season, but he has trained with the reserve squad through the final stretch of pre-season. Representatives for the player declined a contract extension spanning three years and instead explored a loan move to a Second Division side to secure more competitive minutes. Among the clubs showing interest is Lugo, which has been monitoring Daoudi’s development closely as part of its scouting operations. At present, there is no formal agreement in place, meaning Daoudi is expected to remain with the subsidiary while talks continue.
During the pre-season, Daoudi participated in two matchups that the reserve squad played, gaining valuable exposure to the coaching staff and teammates. Recent sessions featured Alberto Gallego and Nino taking on roles in training and match preparation, with the team engaging in fixtures such as a 1-4 loss to Santa Pola and a 0-5 defeat against German, in which Daoudi contributed to the action and helped shape play on the frontline. The reserve club is actively seeking a resolution that preserves its competitive edge; if Daoudi departs, the team would need to identify another striker to fill the gap.
Beyond Daoudi, several other young players were involved in pre-season activities with the A team. Knezevic, nicknamed “Bane,” found the back of the net three times in friendly appearances, including goals against Santa Pola and Almansa. Rodrigo Mendoza, a promising Under-17 international, has been training with the first team and featured in late-minute action for Benito Villamarín’s squad; Carlos Marco and Galindo have also contributed during workouts and scrimmages. Jesús López has been training with the main squad and is positioned as the third-choice goalkeeper behind Edgar Badia and Axel Werner. The young keeper sat on the bench in a recent fixture against Betis, and the club views his continued development as essential for the depth chart. The plan is to keep Jesús as the third option while Juanpe and Montoya vie for the responsibility of guarding the Ilicitano goal.
Gallego and Nino’s squad is scheduled to begin their campaign in the Third RFEF against Villarreal C on September 11, with a clear goal of earning promotion into higher tiers. The path will be demanding, as the group will face formidable opponents, including Orihuela, Atlético Torrellano, Villarreal C, and a Levante reserve side, all of whom pose a serious challenge in the pursuit of advancement. In this environment, the young players are expected to adapt quickly to higher levels of intensity, with some stepping into roles that could bridge the gap to the first team if called upon. The focus remains on development, consistency, and the ability to translate training performance into competitive impact on match days.
Overall, the club’s approach mixes patience with practicality: nurture talent through the reserve system, monitor progress under the supervision of the first-team staff, and maintain flexibility to accelerate or decelerate progression based on performance and strategic needs. The season will reveal how many of these young players can ascend toward regular first-team involvement, and which moves—whether continued development in the subsidiary or a potential loan spell—will best serve their long-term careers. [Citation: Club records and press materials, ongoing monitoring of youth development programs]