Athletic Club’s well-renowned transfer policy of only employing Basque players means that their scouting range is much lower than other clubs, not that it diminishes the quality of prospective transfer targets.
It does mean that they are limited to who they can sign, although one player they are able to go for is Hugo Guillamon. The 23-year-old was born in San Sebastian, but plays for Valencia – although “plays” can be used loosely, as he has rarely featured for the club since Ruben Baraja came in as head coach.
Athletic have been linked with Guillamon over the last few weeks, with a possibility of making a move as early as January. However, head coach Ernesto Valverde has appeared to pour cold water on those suggestions, as per MD.
“He’s a player from another team, I don’t like to comment. He’s one more possibility, but I’m focusing on the players that I have. We also already have a lot of players who can play in the centre.”
Guillamon had been considered a top talent at Valencia, although his progress has stagnated over the course of 2023 so far. A move away would probably do him good, although it remains to be seen whether it is Athletic Club that he ends up at.
