Athletic Bilbao coach Valverde happy with new deal

 


Athletic Bilbao coach Ernesto Valverde is happy with his new deal.

On Friday morning the head coach put pen to paper on a new deal extending his contract to June of next year.

"I have always felt respected from day one by the fans and the people at Athletic," Valverde said during a pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday's clash with Atlético Madrid.

"This is a Club where everyone encourages you and helps you. They wanted me to come here and they made me feel welcome. It's a pleasure to work here everyday, but obviously you have to get the results too."

Valverde said that contract negotiations were swift and simple while refusing to set any long-term targets for himself or the team.

He continued: "The club approached me about a month ago. I thought about it and decided if we did it, I wanted it to be done quickly and not drag on for a long time. We all agreed and there were no issues.

"Coaches always have very short-term goals. What you want is to convince the group that a certain style will suit us and that we can make it work."

Athletic are on the up after registering two wins on the trot in their last two LaLiga clashes, but Valverde warned they'll be going up against "a very difficult, high-level opponent" in Diego Simeone's Atlético.

"We're doing well. We've won two games in a row and we've pushed past the negative period we had at the start of the year," the gaffer added.

"Even when you have possession, Atlético can control the game because they are patient without the ball. They're very strong in individual duels and quick in attacking transitions.

"We're going to their ground with the aim of continuing our run, but we know they have a lot at stake too. It will be a good match."

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