Borja Baston has written an open letter to Eibar as his loan from Atletico Madrid ends. ‘This is the perfect place to develop.’
The striker was loaned to Los Armeros by Atletico for 2015-16 and plundered 18 goals in his first season in the Primera to finish as the division’s 10th-highest scorer, and the third-highest scoring Spaniard.
“For a young guy trying to break into football, a club that makes you feel at home is fundamental. That’s what I found when I got to Eibar. From the first day I understood the philosophy of the club and I received encouragement for the challenges that lay ahead. What I didn’t imagine was this season would give me so much satisfaction,” he wrote on Eibar’s official website, AS reports.
“All these values, humility, unity, hard work, dedication, effort, were the constant of the year. Only in this way could we have avoided relegation and grown during the competition. And so it proved. Every day we felt stronger. That strength allowed us to feel comfortable on the pitch. That comfort gave us the tranquillity to get good results.
“In the first few weeks I kept hearing that Eibar had always been a formidable school for young players. I remembered Xabi Alonso and David Silva passed through and the progression they took to be world champions. All of those who told me that were right. Eibar is the perfect place to develop this growth.
“My teammates and the coaching staff, the club as a whole, have allowed me to fight all season for the honour of being the top scorer. But besides the goals that any striker must have, the experience will be instrumental in the further development of my career.
“I have been very happy at Eibar, I’ve lived in the city centre which has allowed me to better now their customs, and I have completed a basic training for the future. This is, I have no doubt, a fundamental step in my career.
“At this point I can only thank those who put their trust in me, all my teammates, the coaching staff, the sports management and the President. And of course the magnificent fans, who believed from the first day in a guy who was almost a debutant in the Primera and have given me infinite affection.
“I don’t know if fate will return us together, but the imprint you leave on me is and will be indelible.”
