Athletic have had eight players on loan from different clubs this season. Namely: Nuñez, Artola, Imanol, Nolaskoain, Petxarroman, Beñat Prados, Nico Serrano and Villalibre. Not bad. Almost a starting eleven. I’m not going to sell donkeys because it’s not my style, and I’m not going to pretend that I follow every single one of them with the same intensity that I follow Athletic news. But I must admit that I always look at Celta, Burgos, Eibar, Andorra, Mirandés and Alavés, to know if they played, what their role was or if they scored.
With just the data on the table, the best performer is Nuñez. 27 games, 2450 minutes. The man from Repelega held his starting position well when Coudet was coach, now Carvalhal is in charge. Let’s see what is decided about the future of this player, who with the departure of Iñigo Martínez may have the option of staying at Athletic, if that is what he wants, of course.
In 27 games Artola also played in Burgos, but with fewer minutes: 848. He scored two goals. The truth is that he had a good start to the season, but his participation, in terms of starts, has decreased throughout the League. It seems complicated that he could have a place in Valverde’s squad next year. If Amorebieta is promoted, it seems like an interesting place for the striker from Bilbao.
He has been injured since February, but Imanol García de Albéniz stayed on, with the permission of Núñez and Prados, the one who took advantage of his loan at Eibar to the fullest. Garitano and Ferreira had a blind faith in the left-back until a torn Achilles tendon left him unable to continue racking up quality minutes in a team called for promotion to the First Division. It’s a shame, but maybe, even with that injury, Imanol has a great chance to be one of the options for next season.
More wood
Although the current loan player is Peru Nolaskoain. It’s hard for him to get into Garitano’s plans, even at first. Many thought that his period as a gunsmith would pass without pain or glory, but the man from Zumaia has become one of the key players in the scheme of the former rojiblanco coach. Nolaskoain, who already played last season on loan at Amorebieta as a center-back, is back in midfield, where I think it is his position to be an important player, and why not, consider him.
The revelation and the disappointment of these loan players play in the same team, in Mirandés of Joseba Etxeberria. Prados with 34 games and 2169 minutes is one of the bastions in the defense of the three used by the exrojiblanco. In silence and without the press, or the media focus of the other loanee to the Burgos team, Nico Serrano, he has made a suitable place for himself in the silver category. And yes, I expected more from Nico Serrano. 872 minutes, 16 games and no goals is enough to think this is an underused assignment. Hopefully the data is the opposite of his possible future performance as a lion.
And the case of Petxarroman, as I already wrote about Villalibre a few weeks ago, is conditioned by the injury he suffered when the League started. Eder Sarabia put him in when he was fit, but 9 games and 604 minutes seems too little to be an option for next year. How many of these eight will be Athletic players next season? It wouldn’t be a thing on any other Thursday.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
