We may have only added Kiko Casilla to Marcelo Bielsa’s first-team in the winter, but the club did try to sign other outfield players than Swansea’s Daniel James.
One of those was Ibai Gomez, who had played under the boss while he was head coach at Athletic Bilbao. The connection they shared from reaching the Europa League Final in 2012 was not enough to see the 29-year-old ditch his life in Spain for one in West Yorkshire, though.
What was enough to convince the winger to relocate was the chance to return to Los Leones, a chance to return home, as he claims in a recent interview with Mundo Deportivo.
Even the prospect of a better economic offer from England was not enough to tempt Gomez, as “when your team calls you, life changes everything.”
We were not the only English side vying for his signature, either, as Leicester also presented a strong case to sign him before Claude Puel was sacked.
One of us even came close to completing the deal before he eventually returned to the Basque region, but Gomez does not reveal who or who offered the better wage.
“I had the opportunity to go in three places. It [the Premier League] is something that attracted me a lot, it is a league that has made me think and open the possibility of being able to go,” Gomez said.
“It is something that attracted me. Now, with the decision I have made, it is very clear what I want to do. There has been a possibility and I have been close to being able to go.”
Gomes also reflected on his time with the boss, which once again shows what a great manager he must be to play under.
“Anecdotes in a changing room, imagine. There is a lot. To write a book, really [about Bielsa]. Without a doubt, it’s the one I’ve had the most anecdotes about. But there are some… I do not know if it’s better to tell.
“I think Marcelo, honestly, did not sleep. Really! It is impossible to give him time to do so many things in 18 hours, or in 20. It is impossible, really.
“Every day with Marcelo was a new anecdote every day.”