Athletic Club must urgently turn to the transfer market

The transfer market for Athletic Club faces an emergency in the center forward position after the injuries of Gorka Guruzeta and Maroan Sannadi. With Guruzeta out for the rest of the season and Sannadi sidelined for the coming months, Edin Terzic must find alternatives to fill the position, although no market operations have been confirmed so far. 

Athletic Club: two absences that reduce attacking options

Guruzeta's injury is the most serious. The forward suffered a rupture of the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee and was operated on on November 3. The club confirmed that the surgery went smoothly, but the injury will keep him out of the team for the rest of the season.

Sannadi's case adds another immediate problem. The striker sustained a moderate-severe injury to the left hamstrings during the derby against Real Sociedad, held on November 1. The medical report published by Athletic on the 2nd did not set a definitive timeframe for his return.

The consequence is that Terzic loses his two main specific references in that position. According to information published by Mundo Deportivo, Iñaki Williams is left as the only available center forward from the first team to assume that role.

🏥 El parte médico de Maroan Sannadi: más grave de lo esperado, podría decir adiós al 2026 #Athletic https://t.co/vVQ1R9Uw1k

— Estadio Deportivo (@Estadio_ED) November 2, 2026

The alternatives for Athletic Club before turning to the market

The first response from the coach is to redistribute the resources he already has. After Sannadi's injury in the derby, Terzic turned to Robert Navarro to fill his spot. He may also consider players like Álex Berenguer, Oihan Sancet, and Nico Serrano, who can offer offensive solutions from different positions.

The youth academy represents another avenue. Txus Vizcay, a forward for Bilbao Athletic, has already entered the first team's dynamics and has had minutes with the seniors. His presence offers an internal alternative while the coaching staff assesses how to cover the absences.

However, turning to players from other positions or giving more prominence to a player from the reserve team does not equate to having a natural substitute for the entire season. Guruzeta's recovery will be long, and Sannadi's timeline will depend on his evolution, so the coach will need to manage the position over the coming weeks.

Does Athletic Club need a signing?

The situation sparks a debate about a possible signing, but there is currently no confirmed transfer or publicly identified candidate with verifiable information. No figures, negotiations with other clubs, or economic conditions for strengthening the attack have been communicated.

The next step will be to determine whether the club considers the alternatives within the squad and at Lezama sufficient, or if they decide to explore the market in search of another forward. Until there is concrete information about contacts or targets, the sporting urgency should not be confused with an ongoing negotiation.

This is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, El Athletic Club debe acudir con urgencia al mercado de fichajes