MADRID, Aug. 8 (Xinhua) -- Athletic Bilbao finished fourth in La Liga in the 2024-25 season after a campaign that saw the club reach the semifinals of the Europa League, narrowly missing out on the dream of playing the final at their San Mames Stadium.
The fourth-place finish means Bilbao will play in the Champions League for the third time in their history and the second time under coach Ernesto Valverde.
It has been a mixed summer for the club, which only signs players either born in or raised as footballers in the Basque region of northern Spain and the southwestern corner of France.
For much of June, it appeared star player Nico Williams would finally move to FC Barcelona, after the La Liga champions attempted to sign the Spain international winger for a second consecutive summer.
The Barcelona press published a stream of stories claiming Nico was on the verge of signing, and club officials openly discussed the player -- a move that has turned Barca into public enemy No. 1 in Bilbao. But rather than head to Camp Nou, Nico signed a new long-term contract with Bilbao, giving the club and its fans a huge morale boost.
The summer has brought two new signings: versatile forward Robert Navarro joined on a free transfer from Mallorca, while right back Jesus Areso returned for 12 million euros from Osasuna.
Areso replaces Oscar de Marcos, who retired at the end of last season. His ability to surge forward and deliver crosses should be an upgrade on the 36-year-old, who made 573 appearances for the club. Navarro also looks an improvement over the underwhelming Alvaro Djalo, who has moved to Qatar.
However, after a promising start to the summer, things began to go wrong. Key central defender Yeray Alvarez -- who has twice survived cancer -- announced he had tested positive in an anti-doping test, apparently due to a product he was using to prevent hair loss.
Yeray is still awaiting word from UEFA on his punishment and is currently barred from entering Bilbao's Lezama training ground. While the club hopes UEFA will be lenient given his circumstances, it's difficult to see him avoiding a suspension altogether.
Young defender Unai Egiluz was handed a new deal and looked set to provide backup to Yeray, but misfortune struck again when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the second friendly match of the summer.
That leaves Bilbao with just two central defenders -- Dani Vivian and Aitor Paredes -- in the first-team squad. However, if the club can finalize the return of Aymeric Laporte, it would be another major morale boost.
A visit to Anfield to play Liverpool last weekend added to Valverde's headaches. Midfielder Benat Prados sustained a muscle injury that will sideline him for the start of the season. More worrying, however, was top scorer Oihan Sancet going off with a knee ligament injury that is expected to keep him out until late September -- depriving the team of creativity, power and goals.
If Nico Williams plays at his best and Laporte arrives, Bilbao still has the players to replicate last season's success. Mikel Jauregizar has impressed in midfield, while Alex Berenguer and Navarro offer attacking depth. Striker Maroan Sanadi continues to develop, and one thing is certain: few teams will relish visiting a packed San Mames -- arguably the ground with the best atmosphere in La Liga. ■
