The president of the Basque team grants an interview in which he is cautious with the main current affairs of the club
Jon Uriarte’s mentality, embodied in his management of Athletic, presents us with a cold and calculating man. You don’t want to take any risks ahead of time. It happens to him with the signings, with the renewals, with the coach… He wants to minimize the risks even if that means giving up certain decisions.
An example is renovations. Beyond the announcement of the continuity of Sancet, which was made weeks ago, Uriarte does not want to make any more decisions until he knows the fate of Athletic. It is not the same to sign to play in Europe than to play only domestic competitions.
Uriarte’s way of working at Athletic
This circumstance leads him to speak frequently about Óscar de Marcos, Raúl GarcÃa or Iñigo MartÃnez. Since no decisions are made, we are in the middle of May and we still don’t know if they will renew for Athletic or leave at the end of the season. Yes, it seems clear that Iñigo is leaving and that Raúl and Óscar are staying… but there is nothing official.
This way of thinking, always anticipating the risks and without taking a false step, leads him to make decisions such as the continuity of Ernesto Valverde. Surely, after another year with disappointments in the final stretch of the season, the athleticzale fan asks for a bit of rock and roll.
Iraola will have to wait
That rock and roll is represented in Andoni Iraola, the closest thing to a Bielsa in the Athletic coach market. Jon Uriarte knows what Athletic can do with Valverde. He knows that El Txingurri is a person similar to the president, also cold and calm. He is not going to change anything drastically, as Uriarte likes.
Instead the bet for Iraola can turn out very well or quite the opposite. With there being a one in a million chance of failure, the young president of Athletic will not take a step forward. It is the way of working that has led him to business success despite being so young.