The interest of Eibar in Asier Garitano has not surprised Leganés. About a month ago, the Basque team contacted the coach to find out about his professional situation. It was just a simple call in which the Basques tried to assess his present and future. No negotiations were opened. There are no ongoing contacts to close his signing. In fact, since then, according to sources close to this approach, there has been no personal or telephone conversation about it.
Although it has been publicly revealed that the coach is one of the candidates to sit on their bench next season to replace Gaizka Garitano, in Madrid they do not see these statements as a threat to his continuity. Everything would be framed in the context of a simple flirtation that has not yet evolved into a serious interest, with figures or written proposals.
In Butarque, therefore, they breathe easy. The club affirms that there will be no official statement or reaction in this regard because they trust that their coach will remain, at least, the two years stipulated in his new contract, signed after that call to assess his circumstances.
In addition to this, it should be added that Garitano does not have a release clause if a higher category team were to seek his services. If Eibar wants the one from Bergara, they will have to pay a certain amount that has not yet been revealed.
A complex departure
Beyond formalities, Leganés has always promised its members (players and coaches) that it would facilitate a hypothetical departure if a La Liga team were interested in them. The problem for Eibar is that Leganés has never specified what those facilities might be. There are also no precedents to know what stance the club will take if the case arises.
In addition, the departure of Garitano would not be just any departure, especially now that Lega has increased the coach's influence in the club. Although Garitano had seen his contract automatically renewed when he achieved salvation, the club proposed to extend the agreement for one more year, until 2017, and for this, they accepted most of the requests that the Guipuzcoan put on the table.
Several have already been set in motion, such as the arrival of Chema Indias as the sports director, the improvement of the facilities in Butarque, or the firm commitment to signings with guarantees. A complex scenario to which the planning for the next season must be added. Garitano has already given a list of players to be signed and released, which further conditions his possible departure.
In the meantime, the coach has never denied feeling flattered by Eibar's interest. "It's easy to link me to Eibar because I am from there. I am from Bergara and I have played two years in Eibar. The Leganés season has made us all grow and it can lead to being associated with Eibar or any other club, but today I am only thinking about Leganés," he commented to Diario As in an interview granted on May 29.