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At the beginning of August, a scenario timidly discussed by some Spanish sports newspapers seems to be coming true.
The stories of Bilbao leaders Fernando Llorente and Javi Martinez, which caused a lot of noise in the media, ended differently. The latter finally moved to the "Bayern" team in Munich after a prolonged saga, which paid an impressive €40 million for the Basque player. However, Llorente did not go anywhere and according to the newspaper "Sport," he may end up at "Barca" next summer. Completely worthless.
It was written a lot about how much the striker was actively tempted by Turin's "Juventus," but the Italians' offer of €20 million made "Athletic" officials smile - Bilbao's president Josu Urrutia wanted at least €35 million for Llorente and not a cent less. The Turin team also did not give in and did not intend to pay more, until they finally waved off the Basque's ambitions and called Nicklas Bendtner.
Llorente had previously announced that he did not intend to sign a new contract with "Athletic." The club officially announced this news, which, as expected, aroused not only the interest of potential buyers, but also sharp reactions from fans. The criticized striker expressed still wanting to be an important part of the team coached by Marcelo Bielsa and play here until his contract is valid. The problem is that his contract ends next summer, which means that from January 1, 2013, the striker can start negotiations with any club, finish the season with the "Athletic" team, and leave for nothing.
As is known, the "Athletic" club, when forming the squad, invites only ethnic Basques, known for their fanatical loyalty to their homeland. To many, this might seem strange, but this summer the factor of loyalty did not work - after disagreements with team leaders, Martinez finally left and Llorente spread his wings.
What happened to Basque unity?
It is worth noting one simple, yet obvious fact - Llorente, as well as Martinez, are not from the current Basque Country. Both footballers were born and raised in the Navarre region: Llorente in Pamplona, Martinez in the city of Estella, which the Basques call Lizarra. The Navarre region, like present-day Southern France, is considered historical Basque lands and "Athletic" accepts footballers born in these regions (for example, the French defender Bixente Lizarazu defended the colors of the "Athletic" team), but it is becoming clear that the loyalty ingrained in Navarrese is somewhat different from that of the true Basques.
On the other hand, it seems that even the "Athletic" leaders have overstepped the mark.
For the first time in the club's history, Urrutia publicly announced what salary the player supposedly demanded. The non-extended contract of Llorente led to condemnation not only from fans, but also from the mayor of Bilbao and some Basque politicians.
The pressure was so great that even former Basque team coach Javier Clemente, who was possibly the only one unequivocally defending the striker, criticized the current team leaders: "Discussions about salaries in the team were ongoing. 'Athletic' is a club with deep traditions and a prestigious history, so such public outbursts need to be resolved."
Anyway, the summer transfer market has ended, and Llorente has not gone anywhere. We will wait for the summer of 2013, but no... winter.
