The Basque club, Athletic Bilbao, are in some kind of turmoil as things haven’t just been running smoothly for the team since the end of last season and there is a chronic tension on and off the field.
Athletic Bilbao caught the eye of everyone when they played exciting football through much of last season. Although inconsistency plagued their chances in the Spanish league, which meant they finished on a disappointing tenth position,
and as a result of that they missed the automatic qualifications spot for the Champions League.
In Europe they surprised everyone as they displayed sensational performances in all of their games with the exception of the Europa League final match against fellow Spaniards, Atletico Madrid, in which they horribly lost 3-0.
Regardless, they showed promise and everyone thought they were going to shine after their valuable experience in Europe. Unfortunately, things haven’t turned out the way expected for http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Marcelo-c23554 Bielsa’s men; in fact, they've gone
from being bad to worse this season.
A dark cloud is hovering on Bilbao and the mood is just not fine.
The Argentine coach, Bielsa, is not on good terms with the president of the club. Bilbao legend and centre-forward, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fernando-Llorente-c13671, is also expected to leave when the transfer window opens in January.
He refused to sign a new contract with the club which made the fans very upset and opened up the door for the rumours that he is going to join big clubs in Europe.
Since then the striker hasn’t started a single game for his club. His relationship with Bielsa is also strained. Regardless, it is clear that Llorente is not happy at the club where he started his career. He is yearning for Europe
and wants to join the big clubs who regularly participate in the Champions League.
The 27-year-old striker has been on the radars of many clubs in Europe. The Italian champions, Juventus, are leading the pack. They have recently raised their package for signing the striker.
The Turin-based club are trying everything in their power to sign Llorente. They have now announced a long-term £145,000-a-week package. This package means Llorente will become the best paid Juventus player if he decides to join
the Turin club in January.
Many people have doubted if the Old-Lady are sure about landing the Bilbao striker. However, Juve’s chief executive, Giuseppe Moratta, has admitted his confidence in getting their main target when the transfer window opens again
in January.
“People keep asking if we will sign a top player in January, and we are monitoring that with great attention,” he explained.
The English side, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Robin-van-Persie-c31380, to Manchester United in the summer, the Gunners are in short supply of fire power in the front.
Their coach, Arsene Wenger, has vowed to bring in a worthy replacement for the Dutch striker. The French coach has put Llorente on his wish list.
Llorente has only appeared as a substitute for Bilbao since the relationship between him and the club has deteriorated. The question is whether Bilbao Bilbao survive without Llorente and can they find the perfect replacement for
him? Only time will tell how they deal with his absence if he decides to leave this January.
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