Areso (Athletic) admits he wasn’t 100% in his first year

Areso, the Athletic Club full-back, arrived a year ago from Osasuna in a €12m deal and now approaches his season with Terzic as a “clear test”. Speaking at Lezama, the 27-year-old conceded that last campaign he wasn’t “at 100%” and that adaptation didn’t happen as quickly as he expected: “Físicamente el año pasado no estuve al 100%”. He said his focus was on what he could control, and that the physical change is “evident.”

Vallecas and the broken rhythm

The Athletic are dealing with several match postponements, including their games versus Levante and Rayo, and the latest disruption came in Vallecas after just 13 minutes played. “It’s something I’d never experienced as a player,” he said, adding that it leaves them stuck with points while other teams keep moving.

League restart at Mestalla

This Saturday, with a DANA forecast allowing it, Areso returns to LaLiga at Mestalla against Valencia under new coach Javier Aguirre. “I don’t like changes of manager because you don’t know how they’ll set up the match,” he said. He also commented on Jagoba Arrasate—who has returned to Osasuna—and on Nico and Imga: he expects Nico back as soon as possible, while he believes Imga has the level since he was called up to play.