Six candidates to replace Valverde at Athletic | OneFootball

Athletic have begun planning for life after Ernesto Valverde, who told the club on Friday he will leave at season’s end. President Jon Uriarte now leads the search for a successor.

According to El Correo, the leading options are Andoni Iraola, Roberto de Zerbi, Edin Terzic, Claudio Giráldez, Iñigo Pérez and Mauricio Pochettino, with initial contacts already made in some cases.

Iraola, a club great with 510 games across 12 seasons, has impressed with AEK Larnaca, Mirandés and Rayo Vallecano, whom he led in 136 matches. He is in his second season at Bournemouth.

Roberto de Zerbi is noted for bold, attractive football after spells at Sassuolo, Brighton and Olympique de Marseille, though his Shakhtar stint did not succeed. With OM he finished runners-up and was sacked while fourth.

Terzic has already held early talks. German born with Croatian roots and Bosnian background, he spent much of his career at Borussia Dortmund, taking them to a Champions League final and nurturing youth.

Pochettino was courted during the 2022 elections before Valverde was preferred by both Ricardo Barkala and Jon Uriarte. He has managed Espanyol, Southampton, Tottenham, Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, and now leads the United States.

Iñigo Pérez, a former Athletic midfielder, assisted Iraola at Rayo and is now head coach, taking them into Europe and into the Conference League quarter-finals. Giráldez has revived Celta since March 2024, reached the Europa League quarter-finals, promotes academy talent and is contracted until 2027.

Source: El Correo