The directive and the ondarrutarra have not opened negotiations and Uriarte still has not presented him with a renewal offer
With the last of the twelve chimes this Saturday night, Iñigo Martínez (Ondarroa, turns 32 in May) will be free to sign an agreement with another club. This is reflected in the FIFA regulations on transfers for players who, as is the case, end their contract on June 30. The footballer, who suffered a severe blow by not being included by Luis Enrique in the list for the World Cup in Qatar, reaches 2023 without having opened negotiations with Athletic for the renewal of his contract and with the conviction of the most of the fans that his stage in Bilbao is nearing the end. In fact, at this time he does not even have an offer from the board on the table.
From Athletic it is insisted that they want to extend Martínez’s contract since last season, in which the central defender rejected Aitor Elizegi’s proposal. Xabier Álvarez, the strong man of the board in the sports area, said in the electoral campaign that “the renewal of Iñigo Martínez” is a priority. But the reality is that six months after the arrival of Jon Uriarte to the Ibaigane presidential chair, no progress has been detected and it is evident that the positions remain very far apart.
The directive and the player do not feel like talking about the case. Both parties are very careful with their words because they do not want to throw toxicity or controversy into a thorny scenario. The president did not want to answer the question of whether he has presented him with an offer. He used the argument that it is an internal matter. Of course, in the last reference to his case, at the end of November, he issued a key warning to analyze the scenario. “When undertaking transfer or renewal operations, we must be aware of the (economic) situation in which we find ourselves.” Iñigo Martínez has one of the highest chips in the squad. His departure would allow the club to reduce the wage bill.
There are those who believe in the football business that the board could find in the departure of Iñigo Martínez the positive aspect of saving a large token that would allow it to allocate money to the renewals of Nico Williams and Oihan Sancet, which end in 2024, and with whom the club must open conversations immediately.
The player has not been more explicit than Uriarte. In his first appearance before the media – on September 21 in the mixed zone of the Elche stadium – he was asked if he wanted to renew. And he brushed the matter off with “I don’t think that’s one of the questions I need to answer now. It is in the hands of the club, of my agent. I repeat: I am comfortable here ». In the second, on Onda Vasca in November, he indicated that «my future is not clear at all. At the end of the season, let it be what God wants ».
Yeray and Vivian have proven to be a guaranteed couple. Athletic has only conceded one goal with them on the pitch. Valverde opted for this duo against Betis. In this way, the player with the highest performance in recent seasons has played two games in a row as a substitute.
This newspaper asked the coach for the reasons that led him to leave him on the bench at Villamarín. He started with “before he had some discomfort”, but immediately said that “he was one hundred percent ready to play”. To avoid suspicion, he clarified that “the decision is up to me.”
The Barcelona, waiting
Behind the situation appears the interest of Barcelona, whose coach, Xavi Hernández, is convinced that it fits perfectly into his project. The Catalans tried to sign him last summer when they sent the rojiblanca board of directors a proposal of fifteen million plus five in variables for the ondarrutarra.
Piqué’s farewell will not cause Barça to try to sign him in the winter market that opens on January 1. The excesses of the last two markets (with 200 million spent on Ferran Torres, Lewandowski, Rapinha and Koundé) and the new restrictions of LaLiga, with the 5% rule (only that percentage of the sale of non-sports assets can be used for transfers ) prevent the Barcelona club from going to the winter market.
In addition, they force you to change your hiring policy. He will not pay millionaire transfers next summer. The Catalans will reinforce their team with players who have finished their contract and who arrive free. Here fits Iñigo Martínez, a footballer who has seen two trains go by to go to Barcelona (when he was at Real Sociedad and last summer) and who is facing his last chance to play there.
Piqué’s goodbye frees Barça’s salary mass, which saves 35 million gross for the next campaign. That money will go to a center back and Iñigo is number one on the list. Xavi Hernández is the great supporter of his signing. He wanted it in summer and he will want it in June. In Barcelona he takes it for granted that he will wear azulgrana. Catalan media have indicated on several occasions that Martínez has a verbal agreement with the Catalans, a point that sources familiar with the situation deny to this newspaper.
