Athletic Bilbao have confirmed the signing of Iago Herrerin from Atletico Madrid B on a two-year contract.
The 24-year-old Basque-born player returns to the club where he began his professional career before leaving for Atleti two years ago after finding his first-team chances limited behind Gorka Iraizoz and Raul Fernandez.
However, he will not link up with his new teammates for some time as he has gone on a season-long loan to Segunda Division side Numancia, although a clause in his contract stipulates he can return to the San Mames in January 2013 if needed.
Herrerin has missed just one League game for Atletico’s B team in the last two years and scored the winning goal for his team in a 3-2 victory over Getafe B in January 2011, although he never made an appearance in the first team at the Vicente Calderon.
It will be the second time he has been loaned out while an Athletic player, having spent the 2007-08 season with Barakaldo, and means the way into Marcelo Bielsa’s squad may now be blocked even further for promising young goalkeepers Kepa Arrizabalaga and Aitor Fernandez, both of whom could now leave.
