Why Athletic Bilbao’s new transfer strategy could be bad news for the likes of Premier League trio Manchester United, Manchester City and Chelsea
Athletic Club have just extended the contracts of Mikel Balenziaga and Oscar De Marcos until 2021, and if youre a Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea or Bayern fan, you should be sitting up and paying attention. Or a fan of any European powerhouse, for that matter.One player is a 30-year-old left-back, the other a 29-year-old right-back, and neither looked likely to go elsewhere any time soon. So why is their extended stay in the Basque city of any significance? Its a reasonable question to ask. The answer can be found in the key detail of the deals they inked.
5Oscar De Marcos is one of a number of Athletic players who excluded a buyout clause in their new contractThe important point is that both chose to exclude a buyout clause from their contracts. Its the third time in less than a month an Athletic player has chosen to do so, following on from Iker Muniain, who extended his contract until 2024 in late November and eliminated the buyout option when doing so.For the last decade, the buyout clause has been the method used by Europes powerhouses to poach Athletics best players, much to the annoyance of their fans. The Basque-only policy at the La Liga side means a large part of their survival at the elite level relies on having a remarkably high success rate at taking footballers not quite considered strong enough for the big boys and turning them into the real deal.
5Kepa Arrizabalaga became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper when Chelsea paid his 71.6m release clause in the summerBut the omnipresence of buyout clauses means that quite often their hard work nurturing players into top class superstars benefits sides in the Premier League, Bundesliga or elsewhere before Athletic can reap the rewards.Athletic dont negotiate, but regardless, Manchester City were able to snap up Aymeric Laporte, Manchester United got Ander Herrera, Chelsea took Kepa and Bayern brought Javi Martinez to the Allianz. In all four cases, the Basque club could not stop them leaving, whether they wished to or not, because the buying clubs deposited fees with the Spanish football authorities that automatically released the players from their deals the clauses in their contracts made that route possible.
5Man City paid a club record 57m for Laporte in January 2018Without the presence of those clauses, some of the transfers would have been far more expensive. Some may never have happened at all, with big consequences: Martinez for example was key in Bayerns treble under Jupp Heynckes. Laporte will be vital if Manchester City are finally going to succeed in sealing a Champions League title. You get the idea.Thats in the past and the past cannot be changed, but the future can be. If the three recent contract renewals are the sign of a broader change in strategy from Athletic, the knock-on effect will be to the detriment of bigger sides. Comments from Balenziaga upon his renewal suggest others may be considering following the lead: Iker (Munian) has opened up a positive path for the club and for the players. Considering Athletics philosophy, it could be a good way forward in the future.
5Iker Muniain extended his contract in November and eliminated the buyout option when doing soThe real test will be if younger, more appetising players in the market decide to follow the lead of Balenziaga, De Marcos and Muniain. If someone like 24-year-old forward Iaki Williams were to sign a new buyout clause-free deal, then it would really be time to sit up and pay attention. His most recent extension from January 2018 included a record 80m release clause, showing what Athletic think he is worth.Another development the European powerhouses will be keeping an eye on is the upcoming presidential elections at Athletic. The three recent extensions were signed under Josu Urrutia, who leaves his job this month and will not stand for re-election. Will his successor continue down the same road?
5Williams extended his contract in January, but it includes a record 80m release clauseOne of the two men competing to take his place, Alberto Uribe-Echevarria, has suggested he would follow Urrutias change of direction, noting that contracts without buyout clauses are a huge advantage and mean that de facto, its practically impossible for an exodus of players to happen.Its a very interesting route that should be developed, he added.The irony is that even if Athletic do move towards eliminating the buyout option from the deals they sign their players to, they will be hoping other clubs in La Liga dont follow suit. The Basque giants are in solid financial condition, and pay excellent salaries to their best players that are closer to the level of teams who make regular European appearances like Valencia or Sevilla, than the other mid-table teams they generally compete with. That makes the San Mams a very attractive option for players who fit the Basque-only conditions and are looking for a move up the pay ladder. Such was the case with Iigo Martnez, who Athletic brought in from arch rivals Real Sociedad to replace Laporte last January. How did they make it happen? By paying his buyout clause, of course.
Juventus 3-0 Atletico Madrid (Agg 3-2) RECAP: Ronaldo bags Champions League hat-trick. The Portuguese superstar produced a Champions League miracle in Turin to destroy Atleti's hopes
Juventus 3-0 Atletico Madrid (Agg: 3-2): Cristiano Ronaldo
Man City vs Watford live on talkSPORT: Exclusive coverage of FA Cup final, match preview and team news City are bidding to complete an unprecedented domestic treble at Wembley LIVE ON TALKSPORT
~ Manchester City vs Watford live on talkSPORT: Exclusive
The storied history between Liverpool and Bayern Munich - when complacency and greatness collide. Reds and Jurgen Klopp will be coming up against familiar foes in the Champions League knockout stages
What is Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp's record against Bayern
Southampton 2-2 Derby County: Rams win on penalties (2:47) Derby County came back from two goals down and went on to upset Premier League side Southampton in penalties and move on the FA Cup fourth round.
Southampton 2-2 Derby County (3-5 pens): FA Cup - Player Ratings
Gilmour remans a long way from the first team with a loan move next summer a possibility to finally introduce him into the senior game. The competition at Chelsea is fierce and Gilmour has been
Home | Official Site | Chelsea Football Club
Son Heung-Min has warned Liverpool and Manchester City that Tottenham are coming for them, having declared it a three-horse race for the Premier League title. Spurs came from behind to beat
Manchester United news: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer suggests some players aren't as good as they think they are The Red Devils have suffered a dramatic dip in form, losing five of their last seven
Manchester United transfer targets: 8 players Ole Gunnar
Everton 2-0 Chelsea: Maurizio Sarri looks lost at Goodison
Jun 07, 2019 · Women's World Cup will be best ever but is it because of or despite Fifa? opening to the Women's World Cup on Friday, with the French musician Jain and nearly 300 performers delivering a
Wendie Renard gives hosts perfect start as France crush South
May 08, 2019 · Maurico Pochettino has labelled his Tottenham Hotspur players superheroes after their miraculous win over Ajax secured a place in a Champions League final for the first time and rewarded their
Former Man City boss questions Jurgen Klopp and Mauricio
Liverpool feel they are destined to win the Champions League this season, Sadio Mane has exclusively told talkSPORT. The Reds will take on Tottenham in an all-English final in Madrid on Saturday - where we will bring you LIVE commentary from the Wanda Metropolitano stadium.
Sadio Mane EXCLUSIVE: Liverpool players feel they are
Arsenal are set to rival Liverpool, Juventus and Manchester City for Matthijs de Ligt's signature, according to reports. The Ajax captain is regarded as one of Europe's top young defenders
Arsenal to rival Liverpool, Juventus and Manchester City for
Cengiz Under, the young Turkish winger, has slowed a bit this season but is still one of the brightest wide players in the under-21 set across world soccer. Cengiz Under, FW, Roma/Turkey Age: 21
Monday's transfer rumours, news and done deals: Manchester
0 Comments