Ernesto Valverde signs new deal with Athletic Bilbao

Ernesto Valverde has signed a new deal with Athletic Bilbao.

The coach has extended his contract a further year to 2025.

Valverde said: "It's exciting to be able to lead Athletic again for another year, with all the suspense and hopes you have for what's to come this year. It has been a special, different, historic year. Next year, it will be more difficult because there are more competitions, but also more exciting because of them.

"So, I'm looking forward to it. We coaches and all the people who belong to Athletic want to start a new season and keep going with this project to see if we can take it one step further and make this club a little bit bigger still.

"I'm grateful because we know what football is like, we know how demanding it is, and that they trust me again is something that I like naturally, because this is my club. At the same time, it's a great responsibility to repay all the trust placed in me and all the people who support me working every day at Lezama.

"That working atmosphere is fundamental for me. It's also fundamental and a great responsibility to all our fans. We have to come here to San Mams every day to try to win, try to play good football, so that people can identify with us, and then go to all the away grounds and give a good account of ourselves. At the very least, to get even more people to want to become Athletic fans."