With eight La Liga titles and 24 Copas del Rey, Athletic - who face Newcastle in the Champions League on Wednesday - are the third-most successful club in Spain in terms of domestic honours. Along with Real Madrid and Barcelona, they have never been relegated from the top division of Spanish football since its foundation in 1929.
At one point in the summer with Garcia's contract expiring, there was real interest with Chelsea and Spurs both keen. He is a class act and has Premier League experience; he ticks a lot of boxes. However, Garcia has since become a big player under Hansi Flick, and he is not going anywhere. I am told in recent weeks, his people have confirmed that a new deal is imminent.
In what was a significant milestone for the club, Barcelona have finally announced the return date for the iconic Camp Nou stadium on November 7. The club are expected to hold training session in the renovated stadium on the date, two days ahead of their La Liga contest against league contest against Celta Vigo. Date was set on Hansi Flick's wishes
Fans, players and even European football's governing body Uefa have stressed their opposition to La Liga's plan to play in Miami in December, while Serie A is set to stage a game in Perth, Australia. They will not be the first sports leagues to go global, with America's big three - the National Basketball Association (NBA), Major League Baseball (MLB) and the National Football League (NFL) - having held regular-season games overseas for more than two decades.
I'm very happy to have an opponent of this calibre. Barça has always been and continues to be a huge club. I think we have to be very prepared to compete against a rival like this. But if we impose our game and our will, it can be a great match, and we have a chance to come away with the victory.
"It's a reward for those fans who are behind the screen, also in Asia or America, who are paying a fee to watch all the Spanish La Liga matches. It's a gesture to them," Louzan said. "It's good for football and it promotes the Spanish La Liga around the world. Italy is also going to do it with Serie A in Australia. It's a good move for the best league in the world to do it."
El Glorioso were expected to fight for survival in La Liga last season, and they did extremely well by finishing 15th in the standings. Alaves were very busy in the summer transfer window and have strengthened their squad a lot. Youssef Enriquez, Carles Alena, Jonny Otto, Pablo Ibanez, Raul Fernandez and Cabela are the new players in Eduardo Coudet's side. They are now 10th in the La Liga table with 11 points from eight matches, four points behind fourth-placed Real Betis.
