Edin Terzic has finalized an agreement with Athletic Bilbao to succeed Ernesto Valverde as manager of the Basque club starting next season.
Valverde, 62, is a club legend, having played for the Basque side before moving into coaching. He has since served as youth coach and then first-team manager in three separate spells totaling nearly ten years.
Reports of advanced talks between Bilbao and Terzic have been circulating since late March, while the club has also been linked with Andoni Iraola, who will leave English club Bournemouth this summer after three successful years.
However, Iraola, 43, is said to have other options, including a strong chance of succeeding Liam Rosenior at Chelsea following his unexpected departure. The Blues had also considered Terzic, but the Bosnian-born coach is now leaning towards the Basque Country instead of London.
Out of respect for Valverde and to avoid destabilizing the team during the final matches, Athletic Bilbao will not announce Terzic’s appointment at this time. The club is currently competing for European qualification, sitting in ninth place with six games remaining, just three points behind sixth place, which would secure a spot in continental competitions.
This will not be Terzic’s first experience abroad; he began his coaching career in Borussia Dortmund’s youth academy, then served as Slaven Bilic’s assistant at Turkish club Besiktas between 2013 and 2015. The Croatian coach then took him to West Ham United in England, where they spent nearly two and a half years together.
In 2018, Terzic returned to Dortmund as Lucien Favre’s assistant, then took charge of the first team following Favre’s departure in December 2020. He then served as technical director for a year before returning to the head coach position in 2022. The following year, he came very close to leading the club to the Bundesliga title, and in 2024, he guided them to the Champions League final. Since leaving Dortmund in the summer of 2024, Terzic has remained away from football management.
