Terzic era begins at Athletic with medicals and San Mamés unveiling | OneFootball

Edin Terzic’s era at Athletic has begun, with medicals set for Monday and Tuesday and the new head coach presented at San Mamés. According to El Correo, 30 players are due for the tests, while Unai Gómez and Unai Vencedor have permission to miss them for different reasons, without further detail. Training starts on Wednesday at Lezama.

The club face a six-week build-up to a mid-August league start, although the 16 August opener at Barcelona’s Spotify could move depending on the World Cup. If Spain go deep, the fixture would shift to 25, 26 or 27 August, unless both clubs request 18, 19 or 20. That would be difficult given Barcelona’s eight Spain players, plus three with France and England, and Athletic’s three.

The top flight is slated to open on 16 August, with sides carrying significant numbers of World Cup semi-finalists or finalists to begin on 25, 26 or 27. No threshold was set, though the working figure is said to be three. A Spain defeat on Monday against Portugal, or an exit in the quarter-finals, would clear the way for the original start date.

Terzic will work initially with 30 players but without four internationals, Unai Simón, Aymeric Laporte, Nico Williams and Iñaki Williams, the latter only completing Monday’s medical before heading on holiday. Injured Unai Egiluz is also out.

The squad will be trimmed in the coming days. Udinese are lined up to sign Unai Gómez in a move worth a little over four million, and Unai Vencedor, who has one year left, is likely to depart. The futures of Mikel Vesga, Izeta and Agirrezabala remain to be decided, while recruitment options are being monitored.

The first week, with several double sessions, will lay the groundwork and help the new staff bed in. Friendlies begin on 15 July against Derio, Leioa, Sestao, Eibar, Racing and Burgos, with the total expected to approach a dozen as preferred by the coach from Menden. The most demanding tests will come in August, just before the league kicks off.

Source: El Correo