Ponferradina sign Moroccan defender Aymane Jelbat on free transfer from Ourense CF

SD Ponferradina have completed the signing of Moroccan centre-back Aymane Jelbat from Ourense CF on a free transfer ahead of the 2026-27 Primera Federacion Group I campaign.

Jelbat, 26, joins Ponferradina after a season with Ourense in Spains Segunda Federacion Group I, arriving with a current market value of 200,000. The move keeps the defender in Spanish footballs federation divisions while offering him a step up in league level.

Born in Casablanca on 27 May 2000, the left-footed defender stands at 1.84m and is listed primarily as a centre-back. He has spent the bulk of his senior career in Spain and holds Moroccan nationality, having first moved to Europe as a teenager.

Jelbats switch to Ponferradina follows a rapid rise in his valuation during his time at Ourense, where his market value climbed from 150,000 at the end of 2025 to 200,000 by March 2026, a figure that was maintained in the latest update in June.

Before joining Ourense on a standard transfer in September 2025, Jelbat played for Barakaldo CF, having moved there from Bilbao Athletic in July 2024. His time at Barakaldo saw his market value increase to 100,000 by late 2024 and remain at that level through mid-2025.

The defenders earlier career included a spell at Bilbao Athletic, which he joined from Club San Ignacio in July 2023 after initially arriving there on loan from Barakaldo in 2022. Prior to his move into the Basque system, he had played for Amurrio Club following a 2020 transfer from SD Eibar B.

Jelbats development in Spain was preceded by formative years in Morocco at Raja Club Athletics youth ranks and the Mohammed VI Football Academy, from where he transferred to SD Eibars youth setup in 2016.