Berizzo set to be appointed Athletic Club coach LaLiga In line to be the new Bielsa

Athletic Club will appoint Eduardo Berizzo as their next coach after he agreed a deal, with confirmation expected later this week.

The coach will replace Kuko Ziganda, who still has a year left on his contract, but who will pay for a disappointing season with his job.

The club looked to many candidates, but their first choice has always been Berizzo, who has travelled to the Basque Country from Chile to seal the deal.

An agreement is very close between the two parties after negotiating for some time, with Berizzo set to become the fourth coach of Josu Urrutia's reign as president, following on from Marcelo Bielsa, Ernesto Valverde and Ziganda.

Berrizo, who was Bielsa's assistant for Chile between 2007 and 2010, first became a coach for Estudiantes de la Planta, then moved onto O'Higgins before spells in Spain with Celta Vigo and Sevilla.

The 48-year-old previously played for Newell's Old Boys (Argentina), Independiente (Mexico), River Plate (Argentina), Olympique Marseilles (France), Celta Vigo and Cadiz.

The coach will begin work before pre-season by watching videos of every game the team have played this season, also monitoring the rest of LaLiga and the club's B team.

The new coaching team will have the final say on any big decisions this summer, which could include the promotion of B and youth team players.

After his dismissal in December from Sevilla, Berizzo has spent the past few weeks in Argentina and Chile, where he has received various offers, including from Colo-Colo (Chile) and Flamengo (Brazil).

The Argentinian was already working on coming to an agreement with Athletic and so politely declined their offers, knowing that the Bilbao club were prepared to be patient to get their man.

Athletic faced a similar situation last summer, knowing that Ernesto Valverde was on his way to Barcelona, and they opted for Ziganda, who had coached the B team for six seasons, though Berizzo was also considered despite an offer from Sevilla at the time.

The coach only opted for Sevilla after being told that Ziganda was the new appointment, signing a one-year deal with an option for another.