Under the premise of the four I’s, “identity, idea, intensity and illusion”, Aitor Zulaika was presented this Friday in Irun as the new coach of the Real Unión. Accompanied by the president of the txuribeltz team, Ricardo García, the Azpeitarian coach was grateful to the entire council and to the football director, Gorka Etxeberria, for having thought of him for the position. “We will try to make that trust placed as fruitful as possible.”
Zulaika will return to his natural habitat, the bench, after a season in which he has carried out second cycle coordinator duties at Real Sociedad. “I’d be lying to you if I said I hadn’t missed him,” she acknowledged. “Everyone who knows me knows that I love green and training. It is one of the reasons why I come to the Royal Union ».
He new coach of the Irundarras returns to what was his home between 2014 and 2016. A play-off, a fifth place and the achievement of the Federation Cup in those two seasons have led the unionist parish to delude itself with the name of its new coach. “I’m glad that the fans have high expectations. The truth is that I had not stopped to think about it but for us it will not be a pressure ».
The squad of 20/21
The Real Unión currently has fifteen players for the next campaign, a figure that Zulaika considers optimal given the circumstances. “I don’t think in past seasons we’d have many more a month before the preseason started. There are players who offer themselves to you and others who make you wait. We are looking to do things judiciously. If we signed everyone who calls us, we would already have the template made but we want to do things well».
Up to ten players from the previous year could abandon the txuribeltz discipline if the departures of Jorge Galán and Asier Etxaburu are confirmed. “We wanted to have thirteen or fourteen from last year. More than two thirds. Some will say that they are many and others that we do few after three years suffering. I think they are habitual changes in most Second B clubs ».
Regarding the casualties already confirmed and those that could be added, Zulaika pointed out that “there are some that we have wanted and are not, and others that we intend and are making us wait. It is the summer soccer market ».
The level of the players who have been on loan from Zubieta to Gal in recent years was also a matter of debate in the press room at Stadium Gal. “The only thing we can say to Real is eskerrik asko,” the coach repeated up to three times.. “You don’t have to find excuses outside, but find the answers inside. We are not here to demand a club that has helped us so much, that helps us in the present and that will surely continue to do so in the future ”.
Anatz Elizondo and Theo Lucbert, on loan, and Gexan Elosegi, after being released, will land in Irun from the Txuri-Urdin factory. “It is true that between all they do not add five games in Second B but I am very happy that they are part of our squad for the next campaign.”
A crucial season
The uncertainty is total in a bronze football that still does not know how or when it will start and that aims at the creation of the Second B Pro. participation in that hypothetical new category. “A few will have a clear desire to be in Second and others will be content to keep their place.”
The income of the Real Unión and the rest of the clubs will be reduced as a consequence of the health crisis, a circumstance that Zulaika considers “will not be an excuse. I know the budget that we have, that of others matters little to me. Before signing I already knew the context. With what we have we can make a balanced and exciting template. While I am here we are not going to cry about extra sports issues ».
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