All Lezama technicians finish their contract on June 30. Among them is Joseba Agirre. The athletic director of Women’s Athletic today offered himself to the pre-candidates for the Ibaigane chair in case they want to count on his services for next season. “I am athletic. I was born in Athletic, I have been a player of the first team and coach of the Women’s team. I am now a sports director. I can still contribute things. The day I think I can’t contribute, I’ll leave. We are available to whatever the people who come want, but it does not depend on me”, he said today in Lezama at a press conference to assess the work carried out in the last three years, which coincide with the mandate of Aitor Elizegi. The one from Ortuella has been accompanied by John Louis Fountainsresponsible for recruitment and methodology.
Agirre He has confirmed contacts with some of the pre-candidates to preside over Athletic beyond June 24, when the elections are held, although he has not announced names. “I want to help, some pre-candidates have contacted me and have summoned me for a possible interview. I am happy to help”, he reiterated.
The coach who won the last League title in the 2015-16 season considers that the Women’s team is in very good health. “We have prepared players and the first three teams in the first three categories. We are well positioned with young players. Athletic football has a good future”.
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So much Fuentes as Agirre They have highlighted the merit of being the only club with three teams in the first three categories, not only for what this implies in itself but also because the jump of the players is “lighter”. The two managers have highlighted the importance of having a building for the Women’s Division, shared with the lower categories, and the residence. “The residency will give us the possibility of recruiting earlier. It will help us bring in young players”, they have confirmed.
“Women’s soccer is booming and the infrastructure we have in Lezama is wonderful. Those who come from outside are drooling”, he acknowledged Agirre. The Biscayan has highlighted the fact that the first team has its own structure, something that they also want to achieve with the second, and that twelve youth players have risen to the ‘major’ team in this period. “We have gone from 34 to 45 agreed clubs. We have in Gipuzkoa, Araba, Navarra and Iparralde, where it is going to start working Sophie Istillart”, he stated Fuenteswhich has also highlighted that 2,688 players are under the control of Athletic.
“More than 2,600 players are under the control of Athletic”
The dangers are also there. The majority of teams have been strengthened with foreign soccer players and that complicates things as it happened with the male team in its day. In this sense, Agirre has provided significant data: “The year we won the last title there were 17 foreigners and this year there have been 126, more than 30%. Half are European. This is getting much harder, but that has to motivate us to have more desire to train and be Athletic”.
Lucia and Moraza
Lucy y Moraza, two of the most important players, have not accepted Athletic’s renewal offer to continue. “We do not work in the short term. The plan was for three years. Last year we already knew that Lucy he was leaving In the summer we received an offer from Manchester City and the club said no. We had a year to convince her, but it has not been possible. It was clear to her that she was going to leave. We signed up Peke, which was not easy. I haven’t been able to convince them that the best project is Athletic. They have other expectations and they leave, many of them do not even give us the right to first refusal. We have to try to convince them that Athletic is the best possible project”, stated the sports director.
In this sense, it is clear: “Despite the fact that Real has entered Europe, many Basque players consider that Athletic is the best project”. “When I was a coach they left Eli Ibarra, Irene Murua e Iraia. An important transition occurred. There are players ready to make the leap”, he added regarding the future.
Iraia Iturregi He has played a great role leading the team in this year and a half. He managed to climb positions in a difficult 2020-21 season, when he relieved Ángel Villacampa in January 2021, and in the recently completed course he has managed to make a competitive team. “When it happened VillacampaI thought he was the person we needed. She was the best option and it turned out well. We talked for her to continue but she has decided that she does not want to condition those who come, but Athletic and Iraia they are condemned to understand each other”. Iñaki Arechabaletaone of the three pre-candidates, has confirmed that he will have Loiu’s in case he is the next president.
“Iraia and Athletic are condemned to understand each other”
Fighting for the top positions in the table has become very complicated with the leading clubs full of foreigners. What is the real position that Athletic should occupy? “We have to be prepared to be close to entering Europe. We are going to have it difficult, that is clear. It is also true that the pandemic has done us a lot of damage. The worst classification has been the year of Covid. For us, the locker room is very important and we have been a year that each one had to go home to shower. The players come more and more prepared, it is true that they are in a hurry and we have to tell them to be patient and that is difficult. We have to believe that we can compete to enter Europe. We have to be close to those positions.”
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The added problem is that only the top three finishers play continental competition. “The problem is that and that this team has gone from competing for first place to competing for other positions and that is not easy to digest. There are other satisfactions when you wear the Athletic shirt. You have to fight each game as if it were the last, you have to be proud to win every game, with people from the house, with your friends, that’s important”.
Regarding a possible incorporation for next season, he has stated that it is difficult “because the orchard is limited”, but he has not closed the door: “We hope to do something, there may be some surprises”.