The culebron Llorente, recovered in prime time after eight years after the end of the first season of the serial, has relegated to the background some of the issues addressed by the increasingly puzzling Aitor elizegi in his last appearance before the media. Athletic, for example, will close the fiscal year corresponding to the 2019-2020 season with a deficit of 20 million euros. The losses, which the club president himself previously estimated could range between 30 and 40 kilos, have decreased significantly without knowing, at least officially, the reason for this decline.
20 million, even so, constitutes a hole of considerable dimensions. The coronavirus pandemic is undoubtedly the main reason for these black numbers, but worst of all is that there is still no light at the end of the tunnel. With San Mamés closed to the public, the membership fees pending solution or return, without charging the club's half days, the team outside of Europe and the uncertainty of this delicate situation; the immediate future is certainly dark.
Elizegi, who did enter the rag again and again in the questions regarding whether or not there had been contacts with Llorente, obviously eluded the answer to the specific question of whether the club is going to propose a new salary cut to the players and coaches of the first team. The president threw balls out, but sooner or later he will have to deal with a somewhat complicated matter again.
More when in the coffers of the entity there has been enough financial muscle to invest 10 million, at least initially, in the signing of Berenguer
. Now we talk about Llorente, but when the time comes for the numbers …