Athletic Club have opened a new chapter with Edin Terzic taking charge, and the German coach's first meaningful decision has been to fold several academy players into the group for the start of preseason. For US coaches, the way Athletic run their return to work is a window into one of the most distinctive development models in world football.

Terzic has called up young players from the club's Lezama academy to train alongside the first team as the squad reports back for the new campaign. Names including Gift, Johaneko, Santos, Selton and Monreal were among those cited to be part of the early sessions, giving the new coach a first look at the next wave of talent coming through.

A club built on its academy

Athletic are unique among Europe's major clubs because of their long-standing policy of fielding only Basque players, whether born in the region or developed through local academies. That policy makes Lezama not just a development pipeline but the entire foundation of the club. There is no alternative route to reinforcing the squad, so the academy has to produce.

For a US coach, this is the purest example of what it looks like when a club genuinely cannot buy its way out of a problem. Every gap in the first-team squad has to be filled from within or from the narrow pool of eligible players. That constraint forces Athletic to invest seriously in coaching, scouting and player development across every age group.

The result is a club that consistently punches above its financial weight, competing for European places while operating under a self-imposed restriction that no rival accepts. It is a reminder that developing your own players is not just a philosophy, it can be a competitive strategy.

Continuity in the front office

Alongside the coaching change, Athletic have moved to extend the contract of sporting director Mikel Gonzalez, reportedly through to 2030. He first took on the sporting leadership role in late 2022, and the extension signals the club's intention to keep continuity in the department that oversees recruitment and the academy pathway.

That pairing of a new head coach with a settled sporting structure is a model worth noting. The coach changes, but the long-term vision for player development and squad building stays in place. It is the kind of stability that lets an academy plan years ahead rather than reacting to each managerial shift.

Terzic inherits a squad coming off a frustrating season and the loss of European qualification, along with a new captain leading the group. His task is to blend the experienced core with the young players now getting their first taste of senior training. How he integrates the Lezama products will be one of the storylines to watch as the season takes shape.

For coaches building their own pathways, Athletic's start to preseason is a case study in trust. The new man in charge did not wait to reach for the academy. He put its players in the room from day one.