The dream for a domestic player is simple: join the A team and claim a regular place there. After years of dedication and sacrifice, Jose Salinas and Mourad El Ghezouani at Elche CF have inched closer to that goal. Their path wasn’t easy, requiring multiple loan spells in prior seasons. Yet perseverance has begun to pay off, signaling a bright future ahead.
This season, the squad features Salinas as a left-back and El Ghezouani as a forward, both integrated into the Franjiverde roster for the 2023-2024 academic year. They will have the chance to prove they are capable of contributing significantly to the first team from Elche.
Salinas will turn 23 on September 30. He joined Elche through the youth ranks and has steadily climbed the ladder since. He spent time with the reserve team and went on loan to Unionistas de Salamanca for the 2021-2022 season, where he established himself as one of the best left-backs in Primera RFEF.
His performances drew attention from several clubs, including Real Madrid, who had an eye on him for Castilla. Yet Elche chose to keep him, continuing contract discussions with the belief that a first-team promotion would come in time. The club’s history in the top flight over recent seasons made a clear leap challenging, but ambition remained intact.
Last year marked another step forward as Salinas earned a loan spell in the Segunda Division with Mirandés, delivering impressive performances that reinforced his potential.
In this phase, with Elche navigating the higher levels, the young Ankara-born player Segura with callus is on track to fulfill his dream of breaking into the first team. Equal, Salinas began a recent pre-season game against Parma, and there is growing belief that a league debut could come soon, potentially as early as the next match against Ferrol Racing on Saturday after the 22:00 kickoff.
Salinas understands this moment may define his career. He holds a contract through 2025 and has consistently expressed a desire to remain with the A team, focusing his efforts on earning a lasting place in the squad.
Salinas: “Staying at Elche would be a dream”
INFORMATION
A challenging journey
Mourad El Guezouani, from a Moroccan family, was born in Balapintada, a district of Fuente Álamo in Murcia. His dream from a young age pointed toward the top levels of football, and he began in the Villarreal youth setup before moving through its reserve teams. He later joined Orihuela at age 20, and Elche scouts noticed his strong physical presence and goal-scoring instincts, signing him for Illicitano in the 2019-2020 season.
Progressing from the reserve team to the first squad, Pacheta gave him a debut in a team that earned promotion to La Liga. Yet, like Salinas, a direct path to the first team proved elusive, and Elche explored other loan opportunities. During two campaigns, he shone on loan with Alcoyano in 2020-2021 and 2021-2022, making waves in Copa del Rey qualifiers and even pushing Real Madrid in surprising matchups under Vincent Parras.
Second B and First RFEF leagues were a step too small for him. He resisted staying with the reserve squad when it seemed the first team wouldn’t absorb him, ultimately renewing his contract through 2025 after negotiations and pursuing a transfer to seek opportunities in higher divisions.
Mourad went on loan to Burgos
JA Galvanized
Now the opportunity has arrived again for El Guezouani at Elche. Joined by the staff, including Ezekiel Ponce, he could become one of the three forward options for the Franjiverde team alongside Lucas Boyé and Father Milla, ready to seize every chance to impact matches and help the club climb the table.