Athletic Club Face a Midfield Puzzle Ahead of a Busy Summer

Athletic Club are riding a wave right now — back to winning ways in La Liga, chasing European football, and still dreaming of a Copa del Rey final. But while the football’s been decent on the pitch, the club’s suits are already sweating over what the summer’s going to look like in midfield.

The Midfield Situation Is Properly Complicated

Here’s the thing: none of Athletic’s current midfielders are in the final year of their contracts, which sounds fine on paper. But the numbers don’t lie — they’ve got a serious logjam building.

• Galarreta and Jauregizar are the established starters
• Rego has stepped up due to Prados’ long-term injury
• Vesga chips in from the rotation
• Galarreta and Vesga are both 32 and have one year left on their deals

So you’ve got experienced heads ageing out, youngsters pushing through, and a couple of loan players who’ve been absolutely bossing it elsewhere.

The Loan Boys Are Making Noise

This is where it gets interesting. Two young midfielders out on loan have been doing the business this season:

• Gerenabarrera (22) — 24 appearances for Castellón, 2 goals
• Peio Canales (21) — 21 appearances for Racing, 4 goals

Both are back at San Mamés after the summer, both have contracts, and both have reportedly attracted interest from other Primera División clubs — as well as from their current loan clubs, who are leading the Segunda División charge. That’s a nice problem to have, but it does mean Athletic need to figure out who actually gets minutes.

What About the Academy Lads?

Valverde hasn’t been shy about blooding youth this season either. Eder García (22) made his debut, Ibon Sánchez (21) has featured, and there’s even whispers that Efe Korkut — the 19-year-old son of former manager Tayfun, signed for Bilbao Athletic in January and already off the mark — could train with the first team in pre-season. Blimey, that’s a lot of bodies.

The realistic outcome for García and Sánchez? A loan move might actually be their best bet now that the senior lads are coming back.

Iván Martín: Still on the Radar

Athletic had a go at signing Iván Martín last August but, by all accounts, didn’t push hard enough — unlike with Areso from Osasuna, where they actually got their man. Martín is 27, contracted until 2028, and the possibility of revisiting that interest hasn’t been ruled out. Whether it happens depends entirely on how Athletic untangle the midfield mess first.

Club Elections Add Another Layer

Timing-wise, Athletic are also heading into a presidential election this spring, with only Uriarte as a candidate so far but the process still open. New leadership could influence transfer policy, so there’s a fair bit of uncertainty floating around the place.

Bottom line: Athletic’s midfield is about to become the most contested real estate in Bilbao. Someone’s getting left out in the cold — the question is who.