Jon Uria could announce that it is his bet if he becomes president on June 24
It would be the third stage of the ‘Txingurri’ on the Bilbao bench
Espanyol is not the only team thinking of Ernesto Valverde. The path of ‘Txingurri’ can rejoin that of Athletic. According to ‘Bilbosport TB’, Jon Uria, one of the three candidates for Athletic’s presidential election, will announce this Tuesday that the former Barça coach will lead his sports project. If such extreme is confirmed, if the young businessman proclaims himself president of the Ibaigane club on June 24, Valverde would fulfill his third stage on the rojiblanco bench.
Valverde will compete with Marcelo Bielsa, coach chosen by Iñaki Arechabaleta, and probably Marcelino, who could end up being Ricardo Barkala’s bet after Mauricio Pochettino’s ‘no’.
Valverde took the reins of Athletic for the first time in 2003after a year at Bilbao Athletic, until 2008, under the presidency of Ignacio Ugartetxe. And he came back in 2013 with Josu Urrutia, after passing through Espanyol, Olympiacos (in two stages), Villarreal and Valencia. This second stage lasted until 2017, when Barça knocked on his door. In this second stage they won their only title, the 2015 Super Cup, conquered precisely against Luis Enrique’s Barça, who could not come back at the Camp Nou (1-1) from the resounding 4-0 conceded in the first leg.
The ‘Txingurri’ was also a footballer for the Bilbao team, where he ended up after two years with few opportunities in the ‘Dream Team’ that Johan Cruyff was building at Barça. In the red and white ranks he played from 1990 to 1996.
Valverde would return to activity after two sabbatical seasonsprecisely since his departure from FC Barcelona, in 2020.