Aymeric Laporte shines early at Athletic: “the club knew”

Aymeric Laporte, Athletic Club centre-back, has started strongly: he has played six matches, five as a starter. In an interview on ‘El Camino de Mario’, the Frenchman says the switch under Edin Terzic also includes changes to the way the team wants to play, adding that they were already in touch during the World Cup. “In the World Cup we were already talking with the new coach… messaging about what this season would be”, he said.

On why he returned to Bilbao, Laporte insists it was his clear plan from the start after leaving Al Nassr. He acknowledges other paths opened up: “I had opportunities in Turkey with very high figures” and “good offers in Europe”, but stresses his desire to go back to where he grew up. “When I leave Arabia, I have other opportunities much better economically and Athletic knows it,” he added.

Athletic’s league start hasn’t matched expectations either, with 8 points from 18 so far. Laporte points to the early losses to Sevilla and Barça, while he believes they can reverse the trend and fight “to be in Europe”. He also looks ahead to the 2028 Euro: “Let’s see if I make it to the Euros”.