Carlos Gurpegui appointed Bilbao Athletic head coach

Carlos Gurpegui will be the Bilbao Athletic head coach from next season onwards. The iconic former Athletic player has led Basconia for the last two seasons, coaching a lot of the players that will be with the main reserve team.

In both campaigns Gurpegui guided the C team to promotion play-offs. His coaching staff will be announced in the near future. 

After playing 393 games for the first team, Gurpegui became a first-team coach and after a spell as the Club's institutional manager, he focused on improving youth players' individual skills.

Last season, he started off as Bilbao Athletic's assistant coach, working alongside Imanol de la Sota, before moving on to coach Basconia, taking over the side in the middle of the season. In the current campaign, he led the team to a fourth-placed finish and a place in the play-offs, where they were knocked out by SD Leioa.

"It's a great new challenge, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity the club is giving me," Gurpegui said upon being announced as the new B team head coach.

"I have the advantage of knowing practically the whole squad from the year and a half I've been at Basconia, and I hope to have a great season. Every coach at Lezama has a very big responsibility towards the Club and the players, even more so with the philosophy we have.

"We're all very important, our main objective here is to supply the first team with capable players, making sure they get there with the highest level both in sporting and intellectual terms. We all have to be clear about that."

Director of football Mikel González explained the reasons behind the choice to promote Gurpegui, saying: "We believe this to be the best decision for the interests of the Club.

"Carlos Gurpegui has been working at Lezama in different areas for several years now, first working individually with the players and then as a coach. He knows the squad and Athletic perfectly, and has a magnificent relationship with the first-team coach.

"He's the in-house coach whose style is most similar to Ernesto Valverde's and that has played an important role in the decision."