Athletic Club have been searching for a new manager in recent weeks, following the news that Ernesto Valverde will be leaving the club when his contract expires at the end of the current season. They settled on Edin Terzic as their leading target, and it is almost certain that he will be the one to lead Los Leones from the 2026-27 campaign onwards.
Terzic, who has been out of work since leaving Borussia Dortmund after their Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid in 2024, is the favourite of Athletic president Jon Uriarte. Club icon Andoni Iraola will also be available this summer as he is leaving Premier League side Bournemouth, but it has been made clear that now will not be the time that he returns to San Mames.
Athletic have been in talks with Terzic and his representatives in recent weeks, and according to El Correo (via MD), agreement has now been reached for him to take over from Valverde in the summer. The 43-year-old is already said to have been involved in the squad planning for next season, as he seeks to assemble the squad he needs for Los Leones to bounce back from the current campaign’s disappointments.
Terzic will arrive in Bilbao with big shoes to fill
It may have been a disappointing final season as Athletic manager for Valverde, but he has had a fantastic second spell in charge. He led them to their first Copa del Rey title in 40 years in 2024, and in the following season, they qualified for the Champions League.
Terzic will have similar ambitions for his tenure at San Mames, which will get underway in July. The fans are sure to get behind him, and they will hope for similar things out of him as previous foreign managers Jupp Heynckes and Marcelo Bielsa, both of whom are remembered very fondly in Bilbao.
