Edin Terzic has dedicated time to observing Athletic's matches, evaluating the performance of each of his players. The German coach already knows that he will have a vast squad at his disposal when the pre-season begins on Monday, July 6th, with medical and physical tests, and on the 8th with the first group training. Currently, they have 32 players, 26 from the previous season and 6 returning from loans, some of them very profitable.
In goal, the three goalkeepers are Unai Simón, Alex Padilla and Julen Agirrezabala, the latter returning after being in good form at Valencia before an injury. The right-back position, after the retirement of Iñigo Lekue, includes Areso, Gorosabel and Hugo Rincón, who stood out during his time at Girona in his first experience in the first division.
The defensive sector is made up of Vivian, Yeray, Paredes, Laporte (now in the World Cup) and Egiluz, who is still recovering from a serious knee injury suffered at the end of last season. The left side of the defense has fewer options: only two full-backs, one of them, Yuri Berchiche, possibly the best player from last season, whose renewal has not yet been confirmed, although the president expressed optimism at the press conference held in San Mamés on the 9th. The other full-back is Adama Boiro, and there are no more alternatives for that position, which was previously also occupied by Lekue.
The midfield has seven players, five of whom were already there from the previous season. One of them, Rego, ends his contract on the 30th, but the club has a unilateral option to extend the contract for another two years, which should happen after his good performance in the first division with Valverde. Unai Vencedor had an irregular season as a loanee at Levante, and everything indicates that he will be loaned out again. Gere, for his part, earned the right to fight for a place in the first team after a significant evolution at Castellón, where he participated in the promotion playoffs.
The right wing of the attack is made up of Iñaki Williams, Robert Navarro and Djaló, although any of the three can play on the opposite side. The player who transferred from Braga two seasons ago did not enjoy his time at Al Gharafa in Qatar. The attacking midfielder position was reinforced with the return of Peio Canales, one of the highlights of Racing's rise to the first division. Sancet, the undisputed starter, will benefit from the pressure to get back to his old self in the 24-25 season, a performance that was in short supply last season.
On the left, Nico Williams, Berenguer and Nico Serrano remain, while at the front there are also several options with Guruzeta, Maroan and Izeta. Not counting the academy players who can do pre-season with the first team - Monreal, Eder García and Selton were often with Valverde - it is clear that departures will be necessary to reduce the squad to around 24-25 players. There are coaches who prefer to have fewer players to prevent anyone from being left out of the current squads of 23 athletes. This is without considering the possibility of new hires. So far, only three names have emerged, one of which has already been discarded: Unai López renewed for three seasons with Rayo Vallecano, after speculation about his transfer to Olympiacos. The other two are Espanyol center Urko González de Zarate and Girona midfielder Iván Martín. Athletic's market is therefore quite limited.