Former Spain boss on Athletic Bilbao shortlist

Former Spain boss Robert Moreno has emerged as a candidate to take the reins at Athletic Club Bilbao, according to Marca.

Athletic Club’s interest is spiked by the precarious position of the current incumbent Gaizko Garitano, with the team picking up just nine points from their opening eight games in La Liga.

Javi Calleja is also said to be in the frame for the position, having surprisingly left his post at Villarreal at the end of last season, having guided the club to a top five finish in La Liga.

As outlined by a report in Marca earlier this week, former Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino was one of the more ambitious inclusions that the Basque giants had drawn up in their managerial shortlist.

Former Barcelona coach Ernesto Valverde and Valencia boss Marcelino Garcia Toral are also said to be in the frame should the club decide to move on the under-pressure Garitano, but it is the name of Pochettino who is the shock inclusion earlier this week.

Moreno has been out of work since being sacked by Monaco this summer – the French club ended the Ligue 1 campaign in ninth with Moreno winning five of his 12 games at the helm, drawing three and losing the other four – in a campaign which was curtailed in March due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Moreno had been Spain boss for a short period of time in 2019 when Luis Enrique temporarily stepped down from the role due to the long-term illness and tragic passing of his young daughter last year.

Tags Gaizka Garitano Javi Calleja Robert Moreno
La Liga - Club News