Aritz Aduriz has backed strike partner Kike Sola to be a success at Athletic Bilbao in a season that the players face ‘with a spark and enthusiasm’.
Aduriz has this summer seen Fernando Llorente leave on Bosmon deal for Juventus and Sola brought in from Osasuna as his replacement.
Whilst representing competition for places, the 32-year-old sees only the positive in his new 27-year-old colleague’s presence.
“I believe that Sola is a player who has already proven over time that he is a great player,” Aduriz enthused to reporters this week.
“He will be very important and will bring many things and I am sure he can do many more things and that both he and I, like the rest of our teammates, will try to help the team in any way that we can.
“We are confident that the signings are of players that are going to contribute a lot, and that will increase competitiveness.
“We are a team with options now in almost every position and we are excited that we can get it right and we will improve on last year.
“The preseason games are there to assimilate concepts for the new Coach and for us to find our physical shape.
“They are not going to be exact references for how the team will be.
“We are all looking forward, with a spark and enthusiasm for doing things right.”
