Athletic Club have moved quickly to appoint Edin Terzic on a two-year deal. The former Borussia Dortmund boss is scheduled to be presented at the start of next season, as Ernesto Valverde prepares to leave and the club look for a cleaner finish to a mixed campaign.
Why Athletic Club have turned to Terzic
The appointment leans heavily on Terzic's European background. BBC Sport reported that he has had two spells in charge of Dortmund, winning the German Cup in 2021, narrowly missing out on the Bundesliga title in 2023 and reaching the Champions League final in 2024.
That is the sort of CV Athletic are buying. He has already worked in a high-pressure environment, and his most recent run in Germany gives the club a coach who has been tested in knockout football and big league moments.
Terzic also asked to leave Dortmund shortly after losing 2-0 to Real Madrid at Wembley, which gives this move a sharper edge than a routine summer hire.
What the move says about Athletic's situation
Valverde said in March that he would leave Athletic this summer after four years in charge, so the change has been coming for a while. The timing still matters, because Athletic Club are eighth in La Liga with four games left and have 44 points from 34 league matches.
The recent league run has been uneven. Their last five results are WLWLL, which is a decent reason for the club to look for a different voice, even if Valverde's exit was already set in motion.
The cleanest reading is that both factors matter. Valverde's departure created the opening, but Athletic's late-season form made the need for a reset feel more pressing. Terzic arrives with a profile built for a team that wants to steady itself quickly, not rebuild from scratch.
If Athletic get the appointment right, they are backing a coach with a German Cup, a title challenge and a Champions League final on his recent record. The immediate task is simpler: get through the final four league matches and hand Terzic a workable start in Bilbao.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
