Athletic promote Bittor Llopis to Bilbao Athletic on two-year deal after Basconia success | OneFootball

Bilbao Athletic have appointed Bittor Llopis on a two-year deal after a dip in results cost Jokin Aranbarri his job. The club said in a statement that the Basconia coach is promoted after three seasons in Basauri.

Athletic have again opted for internal promotion. Llopis arrived from Alavés four years ago with director of football Mikel González, first leading Juvenil A to the Copa final before taking Basconia.

In his first Basconia season they finished second in Tercera Federación, losing the play-off to Portugalete. The following year he delivered a historic promotion to 2ª RFEF as emphatic group winners. This past campaign he corrected course mid-season and secured a 10th-place finish in the fourth tier.

He also managed the Juvenil in the Youth League, where he showed strong command of prospects close to the elite. The side featured Selton early on before Ernesto Valverde promoted him. They ended unbeaten and sixth, then lost to Eintracht Frankfurt on penalties.

Llopis now steps into a Bilbao Athletic side that flirted with relegation in Primera Federación after a poor run. The club also confirmed their league opponents for next season on Wednesday. Adrián Esteve will take over Basconia, having progressed from Infantil to Juvenil B, then coached Juvenil A to back-to-back División de Honor Nacional group titles.

Source: El Correo