Sergio Navarro: “We can’t separate development from results”

Athletic Club’s new academy director Sergio Navarro reiterated that youth development and results should go hand in hand, promising his methodology will take that belief into account.

Sergio’s first few days have been about observing what makes Athletic tick, something which will help him make important decisions, not only for implementing his style of management but also when it comes to settling upon what changes need to be made to Lezama’s internal structure.

“We can separate development from results. The idea is to humanise, broaden and make the process of developing players from our youth teams to the first team more efficient,” he said. “We also want to raise new questions within the context of Athletic’s youth academy and find answers for them.”

Regarding the type of Athletic player he wants to produce, the academy director answered: “An active players with high participation, who supports the club, who always asks questions of the opposition, but, above all, who has a good understanding of the game. Things must be done quickly, but always with a purpose.”

Sergio has been settling in at Lezama alongside fellow newcomer Mikel Gonzalez, head of youth development and loans.

“They’ve been some very intense days, with a lot of fun and dedication, understanding what Athletic is and the deep-rooted feeling of the people who surround it,” Navarro said.

“I wanted to see first-hand what was being done, to get to know each professional in their field and to see what doubts they have and where they want to take their work.”