bowieinspace

A fix has been released for this, hopefully the fix works well!

Thanks for linking our thread Hey @WFaithorn98 hopefully this helps - to be honest I’ve not had enough time to adjust to the new scouting system yet, I set up basically a mirror of what I have in this thread which is based around the old system and it’s ok, but probably needs tweaking. I’m keen to update the info on the thread as new info comes up about how to use the system. Come on over and post on the thread all about your save and we can help there!

Also just an an aside there seems to be quite a significant bug with player development. My plan is to pause my athletic save until a fix is released as this bug would be pretty disastrous on a youth academy style save. I wouldn’t stress if you want to get into a save as they’ve confirmed fixes will be save game compatible, I’d just be somewhat cautious going beyond one season or maybe two at a push. For anyone unaware the issue surrounds development of certain attributes, particularly technical ones which don’t develop really at all, and some other mental/physical ones that develop way too much.

2022-23 - End of Season Update With a heap of free time and a long weekend in my country, I've sailed through my first season already - and it was overall pretty successful. Competitions La Liga - 2nd place, 79 points. Copa Del Rey - Knocked out in second round to a lower league team - eek! B Team - Promoted via the playoffs to La Liga 2! Real Madrid coasted to a league win with 91 points - certainly looking like they will be a tough challenge in the coming years. Barca didn't have their best season just missing out on 3rd to Atletico, but a Champions League position will keep their finances ticking over - I expect with some of their quality young players being a year old they will only get better next season. A very disappointing Copa Del Rey exit to Cordoba was the disappointment of the season, but it did at least allow us to focus on the league which was probably beneficial for year one. Transfers 4 A very busy first season for transfers as you can see above (note that we've spent a fair bit here - removing Gorosabel who was using my 23-24 budget, we spent 51million in 2022-23 with a 20million budget, reclaiming just 7.5million in sales....so using instalments we turned a 20million budget into 44million net spend (give or take) - this was made possible also due to getting Yuri and Herrera off the wage bill (which makes up about 15% of the wage bill!) Our journey began with summer 2022 transfers for Jon Moncayola from Osasuna - at 10.5million he's a fantastic long term pick up, this was followed up by the purchase of forward Jon Karrikaburu from Real Sociedad who will be our long term centre forward assuming no world class newgens, and then we also brought in Julen Jon Guerrero from Real Madrid as a longer term prospect. Our window finished up with a bit of a change around at left back - moving out Mikel Balenziaga which allowed us to bring in Javi Lopez, who looks a very solid left back prospect. This has proven to be a good move with Javi Lopez showing solid development. We then went towards the January window expecting a quiet month, but it ended up being very busy! Firstly we allowed Yuri to leave for just 500k - we had shortened his contract so was potentially leaving for free in the summer anyway - the fee was pretty nominal but allowing him to leave and removing his high wage allowed us to pick up Aihen Munoz who had been transfer listed. We had to pay a Real Sociedad premium but got the deal done for 7.25 million which saw our budget depleted (even having already used a lot of instalment options on prior transfers). This looked to be us done but then a few deadline day surprises were in store for us. This was kicked off by primary target Aimar Oroz being transfer listed by Osasuna, albeit for a fee of over 20million - given his wage demands were low I was confident we could get him in if we could raise some funds (e.g. by selling AND reducing the wage bill). Coincidentally on the same day Mikel Vesga came to us asking for a new challenge - we were able to get 5million for him which give us some budget to work with, and we also moved on Dani Garcia for just 900k and terminated the loan of Ander Herrera which gave us substantial wage budget to utilise. These 3 moves just about gave us enough funds to complete a transfer for Aimar Oroz - we paid around 10million up front with the rest in instalments. We've definitely hampered our budgets for future seasons but I think all of our transfers this year were either necessary to replace ageing squad members or are simply great options who will be with us for years, so I'm very happy. The icing on the cake came when Ander Herrera was released by PSG following the termination of his loan with us. We then picked him up on a free for just 17k per week! Mad! Moving in to the summer of 2023 I had 10million budget to work with, so not much to play with, however the release of Inigo Martinez, Raul Garcia and Asier Villalibre, plus the other high earners we got off the books during the season reduced our wage bill substantially, so while our financial balance isn't great, our outlook is promising. I elected to utilise our budget to develop our right back position - Inigo Lekue is a squad option at best and Ander Capa, at 31, is nearing the latter stages of his career. We moved Inigo Lekue on and then targeted Andoni Gorosabel or Alvaro Odriozola to come in and replace him - neither are a particular improvement on Capa but are 4 years younger. We elected to go with Gorosabel - both were available for similar fees but his wage demands were considerably lower. We paid a high fee for him at 24.5 million (largely instalments) - definitely an overpay - but given we have no young prospects coming through I felt the money was worth spending. It may limit any opportunities we could have to pick up Mikel Merino or Hugo Guillamon should they become available, but I felt our midfield options were better and right back needed to be prioritised. We do have a little budget left to play with so I am being patient incase something opportunistic comes up. I'd be very surprised if any further deals outside of youth transfers came up. Oh we also signed 3rd choice keeper for a nominal fee and an 18 year old left back for the B team. 2023-24 - Looking Ahead Our goal for 23-24 is to retain our Champions League spot, so anything in the top 4 would be great. We've retained our key players, but we've lost some experience for sure, so guiding the younger squad to a similar position as last year would be just fine, while developing our young players and making our position stronger for 24-25. Squad: GK - Simon and Agirrezabala, Aitor Fernandez third choice RB - Gorosabel and Capa LB - Javi Lopez and Aihen Munoz CB - Vivian, Yerary, Unai Nunez and Peru Nolaskoain DM/CM - Vencedor, Herrera, Moncayola, Sancet, Oroz and Guerrero. RW - Nico Williams and Nico Serrano LW - Muniain and Berenguer CF - Inaki Williams and Karrikaburu Additional Depth - Jon Morcillo, plus Imanol, Aitor Paredes and Juan Artola who will represent the B team in La Liga 2.

Historically FM has had too few injuries, so this isn't necessarily an issue. I'm sure there will be a lot of data for them to look at... if you think it's a problem and have all the data to back it up then I'd suggest heading to the bugs forum.

Thanks Warlock! This thread has been a combined effort from a few people over recent years!

Thanks for the kind words! in terms of Dani Garcia, if he’s signed a pre contract in January, a ‘sell now’ button appears on the inbox item confirming the deal normally. Sometimes the club are willing to accept an early transfer but not always. tactics wise I’ve had reasonable success with Muniain as an inside forward but he can also play some central midfield roles - I use him as a mezzala sometimes. I’d say the main reason you struggle to get anything from him is the positive mentality/high tempo combined with all attacking roles in the front 3. You could use Muniain in a support role (switch the cm(a) to his side, and have him function as more of a creator, eg an wide playmaker. Ultimately though it sounds like your results are going pretty well so whether it’s worth tweaking too much is up to you!

So I had to come and report on some insane transfer wheeling and dealing I did in December January, as I was expected a quiet January and it went a bit nuts: December 21st - I get offers for Yuri out of the blue, fairly nominal amounts but none the less, for a guy with a high wage definitely worth considering. I check and on the same day Aihen Munoz has been transfer listed by Sociedad. I accept the bids for Yuri and I get Munoz for around 6million, stretching the remaining budget a little but a very sensible move to secure my left back position. January then ticks by with nothing really happening. I decide I'm not going to renew Inigo Martinez and he signs a pre contract with Al-Sadd, I am also not resigning Raul Garcia but happy to keep him for the final months of the season, I plan to do the same with Dani Garcia, while Villalibre signs a pre contract agreement with Southampton. As deadline day rolls around I am expecting to play out the season with what I have...but suddenly I see Aimar Oroz has been transfer listed by Osasuna due to disagreements over playing time, albeit still at an 18million fee. At this stage I have basically no budget to play with, but I start to wonder if there's a way I can capitalise. To play with in terms of funds I have Ander Herrera, whos loan I can terminate and save 99k per week in wages. I have a couple guys leaving on frees in June who may leave now for small fees, and then I have Mikel Vesga tell me on deadline day he's looking for a new challenge. I decide to go for it and see if I can raise enough funds to get Oroz in - I figure if I can raise 8-10 million I have a chance of doing a deal with instalments. Move 1 - Sell Vesga for 5 million, I get a few offers and this is key to raising the funds. Move 2 - Terminate Herrera's loan and add a bucket load to my wage budget Move 3 - Dani Garcia has signed a pre contract with Sporting, Inigo Martinez with Al Sadd and Villalibre with Southampton. If I shift one of them I can gather maybe 1 million fee plus reduced wages. Naturally Martinez offers the most financially, but Al Sadd aren't keen, same with Southampton. I have to sell Garcia and get 900k plus his 21k wages off the books. This leaves me short in midfield but I figure I'll gamble with only league games left to play. I get the Oroz move done, largely with instalments but his wages are pretty low so it's a good investment. It does leave me with only Vencedor, Moncayola, Sancet, Raul Garcia and then Oroz as options to cover 3 central midfield spots, which could become problematic if I get a couple injuries. Then I notice Ander Herrera has been mutually terminated by PSG - when I'd spoken to his agent before he wanted astronomical wages to convert his loan to a permanent transfer, but thought I'd take a look anyway. I got him back for 18 months for 17k per week!!! Now my squad looks like this: GK - Simon, Agirrezabala RB - Capa, Lekue LB - Aihen Munoz, Javi Lopez CB - Yeray, Vivian, Inigo Martinez (for next season Nolaskoain and Unai Nunez come back and cover the first two). DM - Vencedor, Ander Herrera CM - Moncayola, Sancet, Oroz, Raul Garcia (the latter will leave at the end of the season and I'll have choice of 2-3 younger players to offer cover as the 4th choice) LW - Muniain, Berenguer RW - Williams, Morcillo (Serrano will replace Morcillo in the summer) CF - Inaki Williams and Karikkaburu (Villalibre extra depth until June). So this season I have gotten rid of: Balenziaga (34), Yuri (33), Oscar De Marcos (34), Dani Garcia (33) and Mikel Vesga (29) Bringing in: Javi Lopez (20), Aihen Munoz (25), Moncayola (24), Julen Jon Guerrero (18), Aimar Oroz (21) and Ander Herrera (for about 1/6 of his loan wages). Crazy first season.

Yeah the whole thing seems like a bug linked to the board favoured policy of one year deals for over 32s…like they would happily accept a lower wage on a 2 or 3 year deal, but something is forcing the game to default to end of season deals only and the players accept it as if it’s actually a longer deal

Hi @Michael Sant, I've uploaded the oldest save game file I have, in game date is December 9th. Unfortunately (I've tried my 3 rolling save files) you can't do any negotiations relevant to this bug, however you can view prior examples. The save game file is called 'Geronimo Dalli - A. Bilbao (v03) and is on the cloud. Prior examples would be to look at the contracts of Yuri and Raul Garcia compared to their original deals (Yuri reduced by a year and lower wage, Raul Garcia lower wage - by this time I might even have lowered it twice...). Both won't enter negotiations for a new deal having 'recently signed a new deal'. Yuri has had a substantial wage reduction, and contract reduced from 2024 end date to 2023. Raul Garcia has had multiple wage reductions through signing new deals during the season without extending the contract length - I think he starts on 140k and he's now on 68k. I can only assume it's due to the board favoured policy as Inigo Martinez who is just under the age limit for that policy at 31 only requests multi year extensions, whereas the guys over 32 are limited to end of season deals. Dani Garcia is also over 32, but being slightly younger on a much lower wage, he asks for a slight wage increase whereas Raul Garcia and Yuri were content to take salary reductions - both Yuri and Raul Garcia have high salaries given their age, ability etc at the start of the save.

Additional Guides A Guide on basque clubs and affiliates from @southside_hitmen

SQUAD BUILDING: LOOKING AHEAD Now we've looked at the various prospects in the youth squads, the first team and potential transfer targets, let's take a look at the first team squad and potential moves to upgrade or sustain your team quality over the initial seasons using players within the database at game start (obviously regens can play a part as you get perhaps 2 years in as well!): Goalkeeper Starting options: with Unai Simon and Julen Agirrezabala, you are well set for the foreseeable future. You may wish to bring in a 3rd choice, but not essential. Potential upgrades: Simon is the best basque keeper in the game, so there's no where to really go here, outside of improving your back up options. Potential sideways moves: You'll see a handful of options in the transfer post above - Alvaro Fernandez is perhaps the standout. Youth team prospects: Aimar Penalver and Alex Padilla look worth keeping an eye on as back up options Likely players in 1-2 seasons: Hard to look past your current first team options as the best possible choices. Central Defenders Starting options: with Inigo Martinez, Yeray, Unai Nunez (out on loan) and Dani Vivian, you are again quite secure here and this area won't need any major overhauls any time soon. Potential upgrades: Laporte is the main one for obvious reasons, but likely unobtainable. Robin Le Normand is probably an upgrade also but expensive. Sideways moves: Aritz Elustondo and Igor Zubeldia at Real Sociedad would be an ideal pickup should one of the above depart, and Hugo Guillamon can do a great job as a CB also. Youth team prospects: You don't have a huge number of options in your own ranks, but with your existing options this isn't a huge panic. Likely players in 1-2 seasons: No changes are necessary. You can even afford to sell Martinez if you get a large offer and Unai Nunez is looking good on loan. Nolaskoian offers a CB option too. Right Back Starting options: with Ander Capa, Oscar De Marcos and Inigo Lekue, again you are quite secure here. De Marcos will decline, but the other two can hold down this spot without issue for a couple of years. Potential upgrades: Alvaro Odriozola - if you can get him you should. Azpilicueta is out there as well, but he's older and not so realistic. Sideways moves: Joseba Zaldua is one option, but is getting older. Martin Aguirregabiria and Andoni Gorosabel might be more realistic, but probably not worth substantial investment. Youth team prospects: Hugo Rincon and Lander Arenal are worth keeping a watchful eye on, but neither look super strong. Likely players in 1-2 Seasons: Capa and Lekue, if you can sign Odriozola or Gorosabel they would give you more years of security in this position. Left Back Starting options: with Yuri and Balenziaga, this is an area that will require your attention fairly quickly, although you have a little time. Potential upgrades: There's not any specific upgrades on Yuri out there in terms of ability Sideways moves: Kevin Rodrigues and Aihen Munoz are worth your attention. This duo are both young and can fill the spot for a good few years. Yuri has a few seasons in him, but if you can get enough money for Yuri to allow you to pay the Munoz fee, thats a long term move well worth considering. Another one to consider is Javi Lopez who is transfer listed - solid attributes and good potential ability... hard to say how he will develop, but letting go of Balenziaga and bringing this guy in to deputise for Yuri seems a very sensible move. Youth team prospects: Imanol will return from loan and can take a first team spot, depending on his development he may be better suited to a back up role. Likely players in 1-2 seasons: Yuri transitioning to either Munoz, Imanol or Javi Lopez as first choice, with one of the others as back up. Central Midfield Staring options: Athletic Club are well equipped for a DM and 2xCM system, or a 2xCM and an AMC tactic. Vesga and Dani Garcia are effective DMs, but Dani Garcia can also play well as a more orthodox CM. Vencedor can play the same role as Dani Garcia. Sancet is a more advanced CM, whilst Muniain can perform strongly as a more attack minded CM role, and Raul Garcia can also drop back. You also have Ander Herrera who is a standout option. Potential upgrades: Mikel Merino is the obvious one here, but he will be hard to get and may go elsewhere before you can get him. This may not be a bad thing if he goes to a huge club and can't get much game time. Moncayola is also arguably an upgrade...perhaps more of a sideways move for your first season, but given hes young with potential to improve and you have quite a few older faces you'll need to move on, he's an obvious pick up. Hugo Guillamon falls into the same category as Moncayola, as does Zubimendi, but both are less likely to be achievable transfers in the first season Sideways moves: There's a handful here - Benat Turrientes has some potential, and Luca Sangalli is a solid pick. Ruben Pardo is ok as well. Youth team prospects: Peio Canales is the one to watch Likely players in 1-2 seasons: Oihan Sancet, Jon Moncayola, Vesga and Vencedor will form the core of your midfield. If you can get Guillamon, Zubimendi or Mikel Merino then that's excellent. Attacking Midfield Starting options: with Alex Berenguer, Jon Morcillo, Iker Muniain and Nico Williams, you are well set up with versatile attacking midfielders. Raul Garcia can do well for a season also, maybe 2. Potential upgrades: Mikel Oyarzabal is the major 'upgrade', but he will be very hard to obtain Sideways moves: Robert Torres at Osasuna is 33 and probably lacks value. Still, he can play across the attacking midfield slots and should last a couple of seasons. Youth team prospects: Nico Serrano needs a few years but looks very good. Ander Barrenetxea at Real Sociedad is a wonderkid but will be difficult to obtain. Aimar Oroz is the best young prospect most likely, and worth investing in. There's a handful of others such as Roberto Lopez, Robert Navarro and Ivan Martin who could be good within a year. Jon Julen Guerrero looks good again this year and is worth scouting also. Likely players in 1-2 seasons: you're likely to keep your current attacking midfield options besides Raul Garcia and work on finding a route for Serrano into the first team. Aimar Oroz is the other one you want to add and then keep an eye on the others mentioned above. Strikers Starting options: This has historically been the most difficult area, with Raul Garcia and Inaki Williams playing in less familiar positions. Villalibre is a stable back up but probably won't ever set the league alight. Potential upgrades: There's no one out there, unless Griezmann is transfer listed! Sideways moves: Jon Bautista is very sideways... Youth team prospects: slim pickings within your own ranks. It's worth getting Jon Karikkaburu straight away to give you an option coming through who could be excellent. Likely players in 1-2 seasons: You'll need to make something work with Williams and Villalibre, or sign Karrikaburu. Other options are thin on the ground. Pray for good regens!! Overall the main area to focus on transfer wise in the short term is the central midfield and left back areas, alongside getting Karikkaburu - within these areas you can make sensible long term changes and secure your position in case regens aren't developing in those areas. We're fortunate to have some good options in game! Other areas don't require much work initially, however the right back spot will be next on the list.

BUILDING FROM THE BOTTOM UP Athletic Club are a team built from within, their record of retaining their La Liga status despite only signing players from the local region is unrivalled anywhere in the world. In recent years since the world of big TV money began, with more players travelling overseas this in theory should have become a much tougher task for Athletic Club. Indeed Athletic have regularly lost big name players over recent years, such as Fernando Llorente, Ander Herrera, Javi Martinez and most recently, the pair of Kepa and Aymeric Laporte, but there has always been one thing to keep things together and bring year on year development….Lezama. Lezama is the club’s academy, and of the current first team squad most have come through Athletic Club’s own academy. Some players left to develop elsewhere before returning (that is a common theme at Athletic, e.g. Benat), and you should always write buy back clauses into player sales. Athletic’s focus on youth and confidence in their academy is so strong, they often turn down the opportunity to recruit other Basque talent to give their academy players a chance. Such a philosophy is a breath of fresh air in the modern footballing world, and one of the reasons I was attracted to Athletic Club on a personal level. In game, you do have the option of signing 16 year old Spaniards to help build a stronger academy. However the purist may prefer to avoid this, and only sign players of Basque nationality at any age – this is also a great way to make an Athletic save just a touch more difficult. It basically becomes a youth academy challenge, with just a few other clubs you’re likely to be able to pluck youngsters from (who normally won't sell to you). Recruitment of youngsters Be sure to keep a close eye on the academies of Osasuna and Real Sociedad. This is where the best Basque youngsters are most likely going to come through, however (especially with Sociedad) be prepared to be patient or pay over the odds as the rivalry is a fierce one and player loyalty runs deep in the region. Fortunately, Athletic’s own academy can make the club largely self-sufficient. The structure of B teams and C teams in Football Manager has become more immersive and generally deeper over recent versions, meaning the reserve teams are a more viable way to develop young talent than they used to be. The Current Crop At the start of your save, Athletic’s youth players are split between Bilbao Athletic (B team) and Baskonia (C Team) and the under 19s team, so before making any squad changes it’s imperative you get to know the players in these teams. Some of them won’t make it, but a lot of them will provide good depth for the first teamt. One of the biggest things when managing Athletic Club if you're new to the team, is remembering that any player could become important....when managing Athletic, you need to be flexible, you'll need players with lower star ratings for depth, and you'll need to build a tactic around effective players sometimes who might not necessarily be the best in terms of star ratings. Bilbao Athletic & CD Baskonia A couple of seasons ago Bilbao Athletic played in the Segunda, a big step up from the 3rd tier. This was a great opportunity for these players to showcase their skills and challenge for a role in the first team. However the Segunda is a tough division of seasoned pros, and the young Bilbao Athletic team lacked the experience to challenge in the division and were relegated. Even with that, some youngsters really showed their quality and have earned their opportunities with the first team. Others have continued in the Segunda with loan moves or played for the B side again in the Segunda B. Baskonia play in the regional division, and to be honest, in game I tend to use them as a dumping ground for those players who are realistically never going to contribute to the first team as their division is inactive. However at the start of the game the team has a number of potential first team talents worth keeping an eye on. I won't post specific screenshots of players as most (both B, C and under 19s) have a variable potential that could land anywhere within a set range, meaning the same player on one save could be a Segunda level player, while in the next save could be a solid La Liga prospect. It's down to you to keep an eye on these players and track their development - just because someone only has a 2 star potential, don't dump them.....loan them, get them games and the right training schedules, they may contribute in the future. Please note, players will sometimes begin each save in different reserve teams and with different potential ratings, so don't take the below screenshots as gospel. I've not listed players below 3* potential just to save space. The key players from Bilbao Athletic (B Team): B team talent in Fm23 isn't that strong. You can see a bit of potential here but no massive standouts - the best young players from previous years, such as Nico Serrano, Peru Nolaskoian, Nico Williams and Sancet have progressed in to the first team now. A few keeping an eye on here but no standout superstars The key players from Baskonia (C Team): Again a little bit of potential here but nothing standout - Aimar Penalver has some solid attributes and could make a good keeper in the future. The key players from the under 19s: Peio Canales was the best of the bunch in this version, however in my actual save (these screenshots are from a fresh save just to get all the pics for these intro posts) the ratings of some of these players swings quite wildly. As always with variable potential, you've just gotta keep an eye on development and see who looks good in your game world. Historically there has been a few real standouts with high potential but this year talent seems a little drier in the youth teams. There two main ways you can play as Athletic, either buying up 16 year old Spaniards to hoard talent and make sure they gain Basque nationality, or working carefully with the Bilbao academy players and signing players from the region. Either way, Lezama is an important part of Athletic Club and something that must be taken seriously. When you can only sign Basque players, developing strength in depth is much tougher than at other clubs. If a player is only 2-3 gold star potential, don’t discard them….work with them, develop their key attributes so they can effective first team players, and they may just surprise you. If you're playing as Athletic for the first time, and you're used to signing players based on star ratings to squad build, be prepared to change your approach...you'll need to utilise everyone!

RECRUITMENT AND TRANSFER OPTIONS Tips for recruitment and scouting I usually run with the following player filters saved on the player search screen, so I can quickly flick through the options important to me: Filter 1: All Basque Players Nationality IS Basque, and Realistic transfer equals unticked Filter 2: Realistic Basque Players Nationality IS Basque, and realistic transfer equals ticked (usually set to 'doubtful' interest or above) Filter 3: All Basque Youth Players Nationality IS Basque, and age is at most 17 (or 18 if you prefer), realistic transfer equals unticked Filter 4: Realistic Basque Youth Players Nationality IS Basque, and age is at most 17 (or 18 if you prefer), realistic transfer equals ticked If you are keen to also recruit Spaniards of 16 years of age, you can just adjust the youth filters by adding "Nationality is Basque OR nationality is Spanish", Age is at most 16. That will allow you to see Spaniards who you could sign who would then gain Basque nationality later. Youth Intake Day and the period immediately after Make sure you immediately scout all youth players from Eibar, Real Sociedad, Osasuna, Alaves and any other Basque clubs who are doing well on the game. I then use the general player search screen to find anyone who has appeared at another club. I look at a combination of star rating and attributes once the scout has 100% knowledge. Generally I won't pursue anyone with less than 2 gold star potential. Above that, 3 gold star or above potential I always sign, 2 or 2.5 I base it more on the attribute spread and my general feeling on the player (e.g. whether they look pretty good already and perhaps the scout is wrong, or whether they might fit a certain role and perform above their level later). If you are signing any Spanish 16 year old, you can probably be a bit more picky. Once I feel I may sign them but don't want to pull the trigger straight away (or can't), I add them to my shortlist and re-scout every month to see any changes in price/wage or ability. Scouting A good scouting structure for Athletic Club can work as follows: Scout 1 - Next opposition Scout 2 - Scouting La Liga, any player age Scout 3 - Scouting Segunda (Liga 123), any player age Scout 4 - Scouting Segunda (Liga 123), under 19s only Scout 5 - Scouting France nation, under 19s only (you could have another scout doing all ages here if you feel it necessary) Scouts 6 and 7 - Scouting Segunda B (3rd tier), under 19s only You can of course add a few extras, however I tend to find after the first couple of seasons any outliers (e.g. notable Basque players who have moved abroad) you know of anyway and can scout separately. This combined with the player search filters should mean you don't miss any potential talent. Top Basque Players Outside of Athletic/Potential Transfer Targets High Reputation Players who may not be Achieveable (Age, salary or both) Antoine Griezmann - Owned officially by Atletico on the game (I thought he was still technically owned by Barca with a buy option built in to his 2 year Atletico loan, unsure if this has changed or if the game needs tweaking!). High wage, 31 years old, it's probably not realistic to get him until his decline is quite substantial and then he may prove too expensive anyway. Cesar Azpilicueta - the emergence of Reece James at Chelsea means the versatile defender may be easier to prise away from Stamford Bridge than in previous saves. He's 32 and on big wages at 150k p/w, so likely will a short cameo at the end of his career if you can get him. More Realistic/Reasonable Options Given Athletic's squad is largely capable, you can get by for the first season. However Athletic have a decent transfer budget at the start of the game (21m), you can use the list below to look at some players who could offer good long term benefits. I've categorised the below into 'Top Picks' who are worth looking at if you want to add a player early on in that role. You'll also find a 'Best overall but hard to get' category in some positions, summarising those who you definitely want to get, but may not be affordable initially. Goalkeepers Top Pick Alvaro Fernandez - Initially on loan from Huesca to Espanyol who have an optional buy clause, and is probably the best keeper alternative who won't break the bank but his loan makes a transfer more complicated. Kepa Arrizabalaga - The Chelsea keeper is looking fantastic in real life right now after a torrid few years at Chelsea, but in game he's only moderately rated. A slight downgrade on Unai Simon and has a high wage. Others Sergio Herrera - the Osasuna goalkeeper has a manageable release fee (14m) and offers a good squad option - could be worth a look if for some reason you sell Simon, but otherwise probably a pass. Aitor Fernandez, Oier Olazabal, Iago Herrerin and a few others provide squad options but probably not ones you would look at Alex Remiro - former Athletic Club GK, who left a season ago under a cloud. Expect the fans to riot if you signed him! Probably not worth it anyway given you have two great keepers already on the books. Iker Alvarez - A rare commodity...a man with both Basque and Andorran nationality. A solid back up who would be a decent pick up at the right price. Full Backs Top Pick Aihen Munoz - Solid left back and definitely worth considering in the first window, appears to be somewhat interested and affordable, and his roughly on a level with Yuri/Balenziaga, but younger! Andoni Gorosabal - Potentially the best right back option out there - may be available in the first window if you want to spend your budget on a new right back Others Javi Lopez - A young left back at Alaves who starts the game transfer listed. Looks to have good potential. Picking him up for around 4-5million is definitely possible, and is worth considering as a replacement for Balenziaga straight away, and he can be understudy to Yuri. Joseba Zaldua - A very capable right back who plays at a similar level to Capa and De Marcos. Worth keeping an eye on in case you are in need of someone in that role, but he's not getting any younger. Alvaro Odriozola - At Real Madrid but not favoured there, unfortunately he's very unlikely to be affordable initially due to his wage demands. If you feel the need to go hard for a right back, you could try to convince him. Martin Aguirregabiria - 25 year old right back. Worth scouting and keeping an eye on but may not be the best option out there. Kevin Rodrigues - Attacking left back option at Adana (Turkish club). Not a world beater but very capable and could suit your system. Aritz Elustondo - Another good central defender option also capable of playing as a right back, but has no interest in joining Athletic. Central Defenders/Defensive Midfielders Top Pick Jon Moncayola - DLP at Osasuna. A young player with potential to be very solid indeed. Affordable within the first window and with quite a few ageing players in midfield, picking up Moncayola is a very prudent choice. Best Overall but Hard to Get Mikel Merino - Following his transfer to Real Sociedad and continued snub of Athletic, there will be some work to do to get this transfer done. Most realistic chance would be if he moved to another club first. A strong midfielder who would provide an excellent option though if available. Too expensive at the start of the game and has minimal interest in joining. Probably the best overall player within this section Hugo Guillamon - The Valencia player would be an excellent long term signing, however will come with a hefty transfer fee in the first window. Aymeric Laporte - a key part of the Man City backline. His wages are within range (just), but his availability will depend on how he gets on at Man City, definitely a chance here if he falls out of favour at City so worth shorlisting. Martin Zubimendi - superb prospect at 23. If he becomes available, buy, buy, buy. Valued quite highly at Sociedad hence perhaps a touch unrealistic initially. Other Options Igor Zubeldia - Solid deep lying playmaker type. Young player who can be a starter/rotation option if you're able to get him in. A solid playmaker who is equally a natural at CB. Probably a bit expensive initially. Ander Guevara - A decent defensive midfielder who would provide competition for places Luca Sangalli - A hard working, two footed box to box player. Definitely worth keeping an eye on as he can provide a good squad option. Jonathan Espericueta - the Mexican with Basque nationality...you will need to set specific database options for him to be loaded into the game. A decent prospect, but worth noting due to him playing in the Mexican league. Be sure to load him up, he could be useful! There's one or two others who may pop up in this camp so we will see who appears once the game has been played a bit more. Asier Illaramendi - An excellent deep lying playmaker who at 32 doesn't provide good long term value, and has no interest in joining Athletic Central/Attacking Midfielders Top Pick/s Aimar Oroz - The wizard of Oroz as he's been dubbed on this forum. Looks excellent still in FM23, and even further developed. Quite expensive for the first window, has only just signed a new contract, and a left sided attacking midfielder isn't the priority, but definitely worth keeping a close eye on. Jon Julen Guerrero - just for the romance, you might want to bring Athletic Club legend Julen's son to the club. He's currently in Real Madrid's under-19s and has some promising technical stats, but clearly needs to develop further. He's only 18 and definitely interested in a move - at the start of the game. He's available cheap and has good potential. Best Overall but Hard to Get Mikel Oyarzabal - An attacking midfielder with massive potential. Given Raul Garcia is ageing, if you were able to bring in Oyarzabal it would be a real coup as he could hold down that position for years. He should always be your number 1 target, but whether timing and luck mean he comes your way is an unknown. He has a 5-6 month knee injury so his comeback from that, if not ideal, may see him become available at likely a high cost. Others Ruben Pardo - good central playmaker, but around the same level as what you have, so you'd be signing for depth. He's often done well in past saves, but he's 29, so you'd be better off looking at younger options. Roberto Lopez - can play across the attacking midfield positions and at 23, has plenty of room to improve. Roberto Torres - 33, but can play all across the midfield, with great technical attributes. A short term option, but a decent one. Javi Martinez - no, not THAT Javi Martinez! There's another one at Osasuna who plays as an attacking midfielder. Worth scouting. Mainly in here for the name joke. Ivan Martin - a young Villareal midfielder, currently on loan at Girona. Can play as a CM and anywhere in the attacking midfield positions, so offers versatility and depth. Likely to be available in the Summer of 2023. Kike Barja - a young Osasuna winger who can play on both flanks. Probably more of a squad filler. Martin Merquelanz - an AML option, no interest in joining Athletic. Ander Barrenetxea - A talented 20 year old winger, who already has wonderkid status. Has no interest in joining Athletic Robert Navarro - Attacking midfielder who could do well long term. Only recently signed a new deal at Sociedad so no interest initially - one to watch Dani Rodriguez - A little gem of an attacking central midfielder at Barca, looks to have good potential and may well be available early on Strikers Top Pick Jon Karrikaburu - a striker of good potential. It's almost worth pulling the trigger immediately given the lack of options in this area. He can be tutored by Raul Garcia for a year if his personality doesn't look good. Others Jon Bautista - Would offer another striker option, but isn't anything special. Contracts When you start the game, always check release clauses throughout the team. The last thing you want managing Athletic is not being aware a players release clause is within reach and losing them unexpectedly. Make sure the guys you definitely want to keep have prohibitive release clauses - or at least, you could live with selling them for the money it would take to prise them away. In the squad post above you can see all the release clauses on the right hand side. Be sure to review these as getting players poached can be a disaster for your save. There's probably around 3 or 4 that need to be upped immediately. When negotiating contracts, increase the clause to what you want it to be and lock it on the first negotiation. They'll ask for more wages but that's ok, you can't risk losing good players and finances aren't a big problem at Athletic. If you don't lock the higher clause, they may respond by locking a much lower value. Also consider locking in a three-year optional extension. Again, the wages requested will increase but if it's manageable, do it! Salary Cap DON'T FORGET TO CHECK YOUR SALARY CAP IN THE LA LIGA REGISTRATION SCREEN!!! Once again this information isn't clearly visible in transfer or contract negotiation screens. Athletic are close to their salary cap in year one, so if you up a few contracts to increase release clauses and bring in 1-2 players you may find yourself caught out.

The Squad When starting an Athletic save you're fortunate to have a well rounded squad for the first season, however some improvements can be made (we'll come to that later). Let's start by overviewing what is available to you on arrival Squad Personality - Determined Captain - Iker Muniain Hot Prospect - Nico Serrano Top Earner - Inaki Williams Key Player - Unai Simon According to your welcome screen, the above are a few basics you're given. It's quite noticeable immediately there's wage disparity within the squad, with a handful of players on huge contracts - quite a few of these are older players so the wage cap shouldn't be a huge issue in La Liga over the first couple of seasons as these players are phased out - again, we will come to this later. Goalkeepers Athletic in recent years have had almost embarrassing riches in the GK position - long time servant Gorka Iraizoz was replaced by Kepa Arrizabalaga, who was then replaced by Unai Simon after Kepa's big money switch to Chelsea. In the end, it's a reasonable argument to suggest Athletic have ended up with the best of the bunch - Unai Simon is an extremely consistent and reliable goalkeeper, who is very well rounded, and is probably the best player on the team overall. As back up, Julen Agirrezabala is a wonderful prospect, with potential to be up there with Simon ability wise. I'd recommend finding opportunities to give him games, or you could consider loaning him out and bringing in another back up if you feel that's a better way for him to develop. Defenders A reliable and sturdy backline - and also a good example of wage disparity. Inigo Martinez - A leader in the backline, Inigo Martinez is an excellent defender. Aggressive, committed and a great ball player he offers a well rounded option. At 31 and on a big wage (entering the final year of his deal) you will need to think about whether he's a good fit long term, but for year one, he's an easy selection in your 11. Dani Vivian - at 23 he's the best defensive prospect for the longer term, with a perfectionist personality meaning he will have no issues reaching his potential. A natural selection alongside Martinez Yeray - A very reliable option who could easily be a starter for you, however perhaps falls slightly behind the above two. His current level is very comparable to Vivian, but Vivian's potential makes him the preferred choice. Unai Nunez - On loan at Celta Vigo which is certainly fine for year one, where you have no European competition to worry about. In year two, he can either be your 4th CB if you retain Martinez, or potentially could come in as a starter if he develops well during his loan spell - one to keep an eye on. Peru Nolaskoain - Although listed as a DM (so you will see him below), Peru offers a good squad option. If you did decide to let Martinez depart Peru could be a good 4th choice allowing you to spend funds elsewhere. Mikel Balenziaga, Imanol and Yuri - Your three left backs offer very similar qualities. Historically Yuri has been the better option, but it's more even this year. The downside with Yuri and Balenziaga is age, Yuri is 32 and on a very large wage and 2 years left on his deal, and Balenziaga at 34 will start declining quickly. While these 2 will suit for the first season, it's an area you'll need to address fairly quickly. Fortunately you do have a capable player in Imanol on loan, so you can hope he develops well and can cover that side in season 2. Ander Capa, Inigo Lekue and Oscar De Marcos - You have 3 right back options. De Marcos is an Athletic legend but at 33 he's not going to provide longevity. Inigo Lekue is a capable option but isn't going to be a world beater for you. Capa is the best of the 3, and at 30 has a few years left. Again though, due to age and overall quality, the right back area is one you'll be wanting to review fairly quickly into your save. Alex Petxarroman is on loan and you'll likely look to move him on when his loan ends. Central Midfield With a couple of solid young prospects, this is a strong area of the time, but will need some depth in the coming years. Dani Garcia - Reliable and hard working, Dani Garcia is a great option to have in your squad as he can cover a few positions/roles. He is however 32 and in his final contracted year. You will likely not want to renew him however you could do this to provide a bit of depth for another year or so, depending on the terms he is after. Even if he declines slightly he won't let you down. Mikel Vesga - Another reliable option for your squad. Mikel Vesga is actually Valverde's first choice alongside Sancet in central midfield this season. He can play DM or a box to box type role, and at 29 has a few years left. Ander Herrera - The former Athletic player has returned on loan from PSG this season - at 32 he still has plenty of quality and will likely occupy a starting role for you. Athletic have a buy clause of only 220,000GBP, so you may wish to take this up if he stays injury free and has reasonable contractual demands. As a professional player with good natural fitness, he will likely be a good option for a few seasons if you keep him on. Oier Zarraga - A young prospect who will be a rotation option at best Oihan Sancet - One of your top younger players. Sancet can play a range of roles, either more attacking roles such as CMA or mezzala, box to box type roles or playmaker style roles. You can expect Sancet to be a staple of your midfield for years to come. Unai Vencedor - Although Vesga is keeping him out of the team in real life, Vencedor remains a superb option on FM and if you play with a defensive midfielder should be your first choice in that role, especially as he has potential to grow as well. Benat Prados - Although his best role is noted above as a CMA this perhaps isn't a fair reflection. Prados is probably best suited to a deeper playmaker style role. Unfortunately he's hampered by weak physicals - depending on your style he may be your cup of tea, so one to watch while on loan. Juan Artola - Listed as a CM, but also viable as a wide player, another one to keep an eye on during his initial loan spell. Wide Players Definitely one of your stronger areas, both in ability terms but also age/prospects Inaki Williams - The man who never misses a game. Inaki is an excellent pacey wide forward, who you may prefer to utilise as a number 9. A hard worker too who can either play as a central forward in a pressing forward or advanced forward role, wide right as a winger or wide left as an inside forward. His versatility provides options for your system. Jon Morcillo - While not the best player in your wide areas, he provides reliable back up and at 23 can do so for many years. Nico Williams - The standout of your wide players - perhaps not on his current ability, but certainly in terms of his potential. At only 19 and already at first team level, Inaki's younger brother will be key to your save. Get his release clause upped immediately - do this on your first day. Iker Muniain - Legendary player for Athletic, and certainly an Athletic lifer. Muniain has been playing first team football for Athletic since he was 16. A creative player who can operate either wide left (cutting in on his right), as a number 10 or as a central midfielder in a mezzala type role. Iker will be a key player for you for the first few seasons. Alex Berenguer - Alex is a very capable player, best wide left but can play on the right also or in a central role such as a shadow striker. He can also play deeper on the flanks as a wing back should it suit your needs. He may not be a guaranteed starter for you, but should be one who features a lot. Gorka Guruzeta - After coming through Lezema Guruzeta left the club to find regular football outside of the top division. A spell at Sabadell in La Liga 2 was followed up with a successful La Liga 2 season with Amorebieta, scoring 13 league goals in 37 appearances. His in game ability is fairly low though and he will be a back up at best. As he only just joined the club you'll be unlikely to sell him in year one, but he could do an excellent job for your B team. Nico Serrano - An excellent prospect who starts on loan at Mirandes in La Liga 2. Keep a close eye on his playing time as if he doesn't play enough games there it will hinder his development. Forwards Two options here, although you may prefer to use Inaki as a number 9, as that allows Nico to play on the right side and Muniain on the left. Raul Garcia - Absolute ****house. Raul Garcia will rough you up. At 36 he's definitely showing signs of his age and is in his final contract year. Can provide an option for you at striker, number 10 or even as a central midfielder. Valuable for year one but you will likely want to get his huge wage off the books at the end of the first season. Asier Villalibre - Has found his footing somewhat now in La Liga and provides a hard working, reliable option at centre forward. He is however probably not one you'd want to rely on as your starting centre forward in years to come. Suggested Line Up The Athletic squad does give you some excellent options in terms of formational flexibility, albeit without signing a player, 3 at the back may be tough due to squad depth. Here I have gone with a 4-3-3 option that suits the players skill sets. Athletic have a hard working, determined team with two wide players in Nico Williams and Iker Muniain who want to cut inside, alongside a midfield trio who can get up and down the pitch and win the ball back well. I have opted to go with Muniain on the left, however he could be moved into the mezzala role in this system with Berenguer taking up the role on the left flank. Given that Athletic have defensively capable central midfielders and wide players who wish to cut in, my recommendation is to force the opposition in to your central midfield area to win the ball back there - this is made possible by a hard working front line who can execute a high press. Athletic's central defenders are not superb in the air, so stopping crosses would also be worth considering. To assist with this, we've used the higher defensive line/step up combination to try to avoid a team camping out around our box and putting in floated crosses to a tall forward. This has risk against pacey attacks so one you may wish to adjust game by game. You can also play out from the back as all 3 centre back options are excellent ball players, alongside very capable central midfielders and full backs. In this system I have opted for Vencedor as an anchor man to provide some stability given two wing backs are being used. I also experimented with a half back, but this didn't work well with the mezzala as they were too far apart when playing the ball out from the back. While Athletic's creative players are good, they're perhaps not good enough for a tiki taka system, and combined with the pace of the Williams brothers this favours a more direct approach. The fans/board also want to see a fast, direct, high pressing style so this is a good fit. In this system I have the work the ball in to box option ticked - while this counter acts this previous note, I found my players rushing attacks a little too much, so this instruction is a temporary measure until I can round out a better solution. You could also operate with a 4-2-3-1 system (favoured by Valverde in real life this season) if preferred without any issues. Equally the flexibility of some of the midfield and forward players will allow you to play a range of formations - you are likely however going to be best suited to using direct/faster attacks as opposed to a slower patient style whichever formation you use.

Welcome to FM23 with Athletic Club! As always, myself, @dothestrand and others grind away at making the Basque giants the best team in Europe, but why Athletic?: 1) A club steeped in history, with a passionate fan base and community focus 2) Athletic is a 'big club', with a new stadium housing over 50,000, good resources and an elected by the members style leadership model. 3) We're not La Real...suckers 3) From an FM point of view, Athletic has a unique policy. You can ONLY sign Basque players. This creates a fun challenge, akin to a youth academy challenge but with the ability to sign from a small pool of Basque players to fill gaps when necessary, and effectively poach youngsters from a handful of other academies (e.g. La Real (Sociedad), Osasuna, Alaves, Eibar etc). So Athletic is basically a youth academy challenge, plus a bit extra. As one of the bigger clubs in Spain, competing for Europe and titles is a regular occurance on an Athletic save, however dominating Europe and winning Champions Leagues is always a challenge due to the smaller player pool. If you're looking for something like a youth academy challenge, where you compete with the best with limited player options and challenge for glory but ultimately find challenges to sustain it year on year, this could be the save for you. In this thread, we'll start off with guides to a range elements, such as squad planning, transfers and the youth academy to help get you started, and you'll see updates from others managing Athletic. But first, let's start with some history. ATHLETIC CLUB HISTORY Athletic de Bilbao, historically, are the third most successful football club in Spain. As well as being one of only three clubs never relegated from the top division of La Liga – there are no prizes for knowing the other two – they are also third in the number of titles won over the years. Sadly for their supporters the last title was won some years ago, however Athletic have had recent success winning the Supercopa in 2020-21, and have had near misses in the Copa Del Rey. Most football followers know about the long-standing Basque only policy of Athletic, which has been the subject of much debate, but I suspect that fewer are aware of the benefit that this concentration on home-grown players has had to the Spanish national squad. Athletic Bilbao has had more players representing Spain than any other Spanish club – including Real Madrid and Barcelona. The club has continued its tradition of signing players born in the Basque provinces of Spain or France, although in the late 1980s this was broadened to include players who had moved to the region at a young age. Athletic Bilbao Football Club - Founded in 1898 by a group of students from the Gymnasium Zamacois – who adopted the English spelling because they had studied in England – Athletic Bilbao merged with Bilbao Football Club, consisting of mainly ex miners from the north-east of England and shipyard workers from Portsmouth and Southampton, in 1902. After calling themselves Club Vizcaya for a season they reverted to the name Athletic Club de Bilbao in 1903. After playing in blue and white stripes for a few seasons, in 1910 they changed to the red and white they still play in today – the possible reasons for this can be found in the Atlético Madrid article, as the two clubs shared founders and have entwined early histories. During the early years, the club was immediately successful, frequently winning the Copa del Rey title. The star player of the time is still remembered in Spanish football today as the leading scorer each year is known as the ‘Pichichi’, which is named after the Athletic player who once scored a hat-trick in a Cup Final. The appointment of English coach Fred Pentland, El Bombín (the Bowler Hat) led to even more success. A great coaching innovator, who was also in charge of Atlético Madrid and the Spanish national team, Pentland was an early advocate of the style that became known in England, much later, as ‘push and run’ when introduced by Arthur Rowe with Tottenham Hotspur. He was not the only English manager employed by the club; in later years, Ronnie Allen and Howard Kendall also coached here. Their choices of headgear, though, went unrecorded! It is, however, known that Kendall found it so frustrating being unable to buy the players he wanted that it was cited as his major reason for leaving the club. Under Pentland’s stewardship, Athletic won the League – of which the team were founder members in 1928 – and the cup on several occasions, doing the ‘double’ in both 1930 and 1931. In the second of these remarkable seasons, Barcelona were beaten by 12 goals to 1 in Bilbao – a result which is never likely to be repeated. All of the games in Bilbao were played at the club’s present stadium, San Mamés, named after a nearby church. This has led to the stadium being known as ‘The Cathedral’, although the atmosphere – especially when Real Madrid are in town – can hardly be compared with one! As well as being known as the ‘Rojiblancos’ because of their colours the team is also referred to as ‘Los Leones’ (the lions) as St Mames himself was an early Christian that the lions had refused to kill. There was a period when the club had to change its name to Atlético Bilbao, as a result of a decision by Franco to outlaw non-Spanish names and languages. During the 1950s, however, the government’s severe restrictions on foreign-born players in the league greatly helped the Basque club who won several league and cup titles in this time and, in 1956, entered the then-named European Cup for the first time. The club’s successes all helped give the Basque people a sense of identity at a time when they felt very isolated in Spain. There was a famous incident in December 1975, just 15 days after the death of Franco, in which Iribar and Kortabarria, rival captains of Athletic and Real Sociedad, carried the Basque flag – illegal at the time – onto the pitch before a local derby. RECENT SUCCESS Bilbao finished up their 2013-14 campaign with a fourth place finish and shot to secure Champion's League football, which they did with a victory over Napoli. Unfortunately Bilbao fell short, finishing third in their group behind both Shakhtar and FC Porto then later were knocked out of the EURO by Serie A side Torino. Bilbao managed to make it to the finals of the Copa del Ray as well, but once again fell short with a 3-1 loss to Barcelona. The club were able to get redemption however, with the ageless Artiz Aduriz scoring a hat-trick in a 4-0 victory against Barcelona in the 2015-2016 Super Cup and also capturing a draw at Camp Nou later in the season. Aduriz ended his resurgent 2015-2016 season with 36 goals in all competitions and getting a call of to the Spain national team for Euro 2016. The club secured a spot in the EURO with a fifth place finish in the 2015-2016 season thanks to not only contributions from Aduriz, but also from some of their more promising first team youth players. In 2016-17 the club enjoyed another consistent season coached by Ernesto Valverde, finishing 7th in the league and requalifying for the Europa League (3rd qualifying round) for 2017-18. Heralded as a potential winner of the Europa League in 2016-17, the club lost in the round of 32 to Apoel Nicosia in a surprising result. Following the 2016-17 season, coach Ernesto Valverde moved on to Barcelona after a successful spell at the club. Athletic made the decision to promote Kuko Ziganda from the B team to take control of the first team squad, but sadly this didn't work out and he was removed from his position at the end of the 2017-18 season. In 2018-19, the club moved to appoint Eduardo Berizzo to the helm alongside his backroom team. Berizzo has previously enjoyed a successful spell at Celta and a mixed spell at Sevilla previously, and is well known for his pressing style. Unfortunately Berizzo's style led to some promising football but poor results - ultimately he was removed and replaced by Gaizka Garitano. Garitano had been leading the B team - he brought about improved solidarity defensively in comparison to the leaky football seen under Berizzo, and led the team through impressive form for the remainder of the season, finishing just outside of the European qualification places. The 2019-20 season started in glorious fashion, when Aduriz scored a sensational last minute scissor kick to defeat Barcelona at the San Mames. That was unfortunately as good as it got. Despite the season being interrupted by COVID-19, Athletic Club remained in European contention for most of the season, only for a poor run of form to derail them once the season resumed. Athletic Club finished a disappointing 11th, although they were only 5pts behind arch-rivals Real Sociedad, who finished 6th. Athletic Club and Real Sociedad both reached the Copa Del Rey final, the first Basque derby final ever. Held in April 2021, a disappointing performance saw Real Sociedad lift the trophy. The 2020-21 season was another underwhelming year. Athletic Club finished in 10th, but with fewer points than the previous season, and a long way off the European places. They reached the Copa Del Rey final once more, but were hammered 4-0 by Barcelona. The pattern from the last few years is familiar now. Solid in defence but passive in attack. Alex Berenguer was the top scorer in La Liga with a mere eight goals. The good news was the emergence of young players like Sancet, Vencedor and Morcillo. The 2021-22 season continued with the management of Marcelinho, and while it shows signs of improvement inconsistency regularly reared it's head. Athletic eventually finished 8th, narrowly missing out on the European places, with further frustration as losing finalists in the Supercopa, and a semi final exit to Valencia in the Copa Del Rey. This led to Marcelinho's tenure as manager ending at the completion of the season. For the 2022-23 season, former manager Ernesto Valverde rejoined the club - a man who had brought good success and consistent European competition to Athletic in his previous spell. So far, an excellent start to the 2022-23 season, alongside Nico Williams emergence as a starter has brought fresh optimism to the club. RIVALRIES The largest one in Spain sees you facing Real Sociedad in a Basque derby. Other rivalries are with another Basque teams Eibar, Alaves and Osasuna and also competitive rivalries with Barcelona and Real Madrid. Osasuna and Sociedad in particular are also the other main producers of Basque players, but good luck signing any of them. It's exceedingly difficult to pry players from one club to the other, which is how intense the rivalry is. When playing as Athletic, you can expect to sign players on the odd occasion from these clubs, and it gets easier if you're able to build a solid difference in reputation between the sides, however even at that stage, some players will refuse the move. This is something of an unexpected challenge to many newcomers to managing Athletic, in that the majority of Basque players capable of improving the team do not want to join. WHY ATHLETIC CLUB? It's one of the more challenging saves in all of FM, because you are limited to signing only players with Basque heritage or players in Spain who are no older than 16 years old. It forces you to focus on utilizing what you have in the squad to the best of their ability and developing your youth and figuring out what you want the DNA of the club to be long term. This offers two different ways to play as Athletic Club: 1) Use the signing of Spanish U16 players to provide a wider base to pick from, or for an added challenge... 2) Only sign Basque players of any age, and do not sign any spanish U16 players unless they already hold Basque nationality. Athletic Club have one of the best youth setups in the game, so you can churn out prospects to replenish your first team and keep it home grown. You aren't buying any trophies here with a Tycoon. You need to have a strong handle on youth development and be ready to integrate those younger players into the side. EXPECTATIONS Athletic has very high standards and expectations. During the first season the board and fan expectation is to qualify for the UEFA Conference, progressing to the Europa League and then Champions League over the following 2 years. This has softened somewhat from recent iterations of FM, so should be very achievable - to be honest you want to be challenging for the top 4 in year one to start building up your club finances as quickly as possible. This helps with the salary cap for future seasons.

I've been able to renew two contracts for players around 32-34 years old who had 11 months left on their deals, they accepted renewals on reduced wages (one from 140k down to 105k, and the other from 70k down to 62k) and reduced bonuses, without extending the length of the contracts - so just taking a pay cut for no reason. I'm sure one of them was looking for a deal until 2024, but then on the renewal screen it was set for 2023 and they didn't want to change it. I'm not complaining but there's no way any player would accept that (and our club isn't in financial difficulty or anything out of the ordinary). May be a bug worth looking at.

Fm23 is out and I'm currently playing my first pre season friendly with Athletic Couple early notes: - Immediate interest in Nico Williams and Dani Vivian so they needed a new deal. - There's a few low release clauses for younger players in the first team which need to be sorted immediately to avoid risking losing them - With Dani Garcia, Ander Herrera both ageing, alongside Raul Garcia and De Marcos who can also play CM in a pinch all being out of contract at the end of 2023, a new CM to rotate with Vesga, Sancet, Vencedor for example will be important. Jon Moncayola is gettable. - Strikers as usual are an issue. Raul Garcia is old and on a huge wage, Inaki can do it but isn't a perfect number 9 and VIllalibre is just meh... Karrikaburu is gettable. - Aimar Oroz looks worth looking at again, as does Julen Jon Guerrero...certainly both worth scouting. Haven't found any other significant stand out changes yet, the youth teams are pretty weak though not much potential coming through. Unai Nunez looks to have had a bit of a downgrade, Nico Serrano potentially a bit of a downgrade also (not in terms of current ability, which has definitely gone up, but perhaps his PA has been fixed and/or tweaked...he just looks a bit more 'developed' in terms of how FM have rated him this year.

I've historically started my long term save on the beta and never had any game breaking issues from it fortunately. I'm just inpatient though I think doing a beta save is pretty sensible.

The first part has been addressed - apparently you can speak to the agent now to convince them to get back to the table

Yeah same with fending off interest in Muniain and Williams who get upset and want out of the club at the first opportunity (historically De Marcos had significant issues with that too), despite the fact they’re fiercely loyal to Athletic. Their loyalty should just be extremely high but I’m not sure it’s ever been properly set.

I've not played for a few months now - I've played FM so much over so many years I just can't keep interested for a full year (but when I'm into it I am ALL IN haha), but I will almost certainly pick up the new game and go again in November. I think 2023 should be pretty exciting for Athletic on FM but I wonder if this might come more in the January update, because while players like Sancet and Nico Williams will definitely get boosted up, the impact of this positive start to the season I'm sure will impact some player ratings a little if they keep it going. Sancet will be an interesting one simply because of the positional difference between under Marcelinho last season and Valverde this season!

Yeah definitely does have an impact. I found that it was ok once I got a couple consecutive champions league qualifications. Without that it’s hard to maintain some of the high earners for sure! Inigo Martinez in particular has such a high wage.

Consider assigning that task to a staff member like DoF or TD