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.
Arsenal and Chelsea fans face a nightmare to reach the Europa League final in Baku. Arsenal and Chelsea given just 6,000 tickets each for Europa League final in Azerbaijan Arsenal 4-1 in
Arsenal news : Arsenal and Chelsea given just 6,000 tickets
- The Man United legend won six titles during his 12 year reign at Old Trafford - Ferdinand admits he would rather prefer the Citizens to win the title ahead of Liverpool. Manchester United legend Rio Ferdinand has backed city rivals Manchester City to win the Premier League title at the end of this season.
Liverpool news: Brazil legend Pele makes Premier League
Arsenal 2-1 Cardiff: Second-half strikes from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Alexandre Lacazette earn Gunners hard-fought win Unai Emery's side are now level with fourth placed Chelsea - who play
Arsenal 2-1 Cardiff: Second-half strikes from Pierre-Emerick
Fantasy Premier League tips: Transfer advice for Gameweek 32, including Manchester United and Chelsea stars by: 161385360554578 — Talk Sport 29 Mar The football returns after an international break and it's back with a bang thanks to a huge double gameweek.
Fantasy Premier League tips: Last-minute transfers, bargains
The French striker's trademark celebration scared a young ball boy, but Gomis gave him his jersey as an apology. The former Swansea striker, now 33, is having a renaissance of sorts in
Video: Bafetimbi Gomis scares ball boy with goal celebration
Manchester United need to back Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the transfer market if he's to have any chance of delivering success as the manager. Danny Murphy has recommended five signings for the club to strike this summer.
Man Utd News | Team news, injury updates, transfers, new
He produced a solid performance on the first day when he did his Bushtucker trial leaning out of a car window but Harry Redknapp was in perfect form during last night's episode of I'm a
I'm A Celebrity: Noel Edmonds set to appear as 11th
Lille 5-1 PSG: Champions in waiting stunned by five-star LOSC performance Les Parisiens will have to wait before they can be crowned kings of France again By talkSPORT
Lille 5-1 PSG: Champions in waiting stunned by five-star LOSC
Chelsea press conference live: Maurizio Sarri on Hazard injury, Barkley's form & Crystal Palace "Ruben in October played four matches out of five. I think at the moment the situation is not for loan, of course," Sarri said. "He has improved, but he needs to improve more from the tactical point of view. The rest is good.
Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri tells Ruben Loftus-Cheek he needs
Come fan with us. SB Nation is the largest independent sports media brand, consisting of SBNation.com, MMAFighting.com and over 300 fan-centric team communities.
Bleacher Report | Sports. Highlights. News. Now.
Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard have used FIFA 19 to help get over their Carabao Cup loss to Derby. The duo were seen promoting the latest edition of the hit video game by
EA Sports - Gist Junction - News around the world
Didier Drogba's epic reaction to Chelsea v Arsenal in the FA Cup final. The Ivorian joked that he will be coming back to England to slay the Gunners again.
The incredible statistic that puts Pedro in the same league
Brentford's technical director Robert Rowan has died at the age of 28, the club have announced. Rowan had been working for Brentford since 2014 and took over as technical director in February.
Robert Rowan, Brentford's technical director, dies aged 28
Alex McLeish names Scotland squad as Hibs' Marc McNulty and Liam Palmer earn first call-ups And he has named his 23-man squad with Celtic star Oliver Burke earning a recall after an
Scotland squad named for opening UEFA EURO 2020 Qualifiers
Mandy Moore teases new music in latest post newKerala.com - Published 18 hours ago Also reported by •E! Online •Just Jared: Tony Cascarino tells England defender John Stones: You're not Bobby Moore, so don't try to play like him Tony Cascarino has slammed John Stones for overplaying during England's 3-1 defeat to the
Large Ebola outbreaks 'new normal' - CHOCHILINO
0 Comments