Early recruitment is always misunderstood from the outside, because it is mistaken for urgency when in truth it is about control, about removing future pressure before it has the chance to distort your thinking. The goalkeeper position demanded exactly that clarity this summer, not because we lacked quality, but because the context around it had shifted irreversibly.

Renato’s departure to Genk was not a surprise to me, even if the timing forced us to act decisively. He had grown increasingly uncomfortable with the direction of the project, with its demands and its patience, and in this business you learn quickly that an unhappy goalkeeper is not a problem you can defer. We secured €150,000, compromised slightly on sell-on clauses and loyalty bonuses, and accepted that this was a necessary release rather than a perfect deal. Stability, particularly in this position, is worth more than theoretical upside.

For some time now I have been tracking Spanish goalkeepers with a long-term horizon in mind, profiles who command their area naturally and remain mentally intact when volume, pressure, and scrutiny increase. Wages eliminated a couple of strong candidates early, which only sharpened the focus rather than diluting it, and eventually the conversation kept circling back to Mario Extarri. At 26, free after two full seasons as a regular at Andorra following his development at Barcelona B, he represents the kind of risk I am comfortable taking: data-driven, context-aware, and rooted in conviction rather than fashion.

There is, of course, an inherent danger in trusting numbers from Spain’s third tier, but numbers have served me well in the past when interpreted with care rather than blind faith. Mario’s 0.1 clean sheets per 90 – five across the season, placing him in the 80th percentile at that level, is not merely a statistical curiosity; it reflects consistency in chaotic environments, an ability to survive long spells of defensive exposure without emotional collapse. Conversations with staff, old friends of mine, from La Masia reinforced what the data suggested – that he had always been highly regarded for his concentration, his appetite for responsibility, and his comfort in being judged on actions rather than reputation.

His Basque origins matter to me more than I would ever admit publicly. There is a shared footballing DNA there – seriousness, pride in defensive responsibility, an understanding that authority is earned through reliability – and I see that cultural alignment as an accelerant rather than a guarantee. Mario commands his area well, communicates with conviction even when the words themselves are imperfect, and while the fact that he does not yet speak Italian or German is a genuine challenge, it is one he must overcome rather than one we will soften for him. Leadership does not wait for comfort.

From a technical perspective, he fits our succession planning precisely while also being better suited to where we are going. He is a volume shot-stopper, capable of absorbing pressure, though his tendency to parry rather than hold will require coaching to ensure danger is not recycled unnecessarily. His passing volume is modest, but accuracy is strong, which tells me that his decisions in early build-up are measured rather than forced, and the footage showing his willingness to sweep and participate beyond the box confirms that he is not confined by his own penalty area. This is not replacement for the sake of continuity; it is evolution.

Alongside him, Kerim Amsler – a €50k signing from Wohlen – was a deliberate and important addition. Expanding our competitive footprint across multiple competitions demands a goalkeeper who is not ornamental, and relegation with Wohlen has masked how busy, resilient, and technically sound he truly is. His high save volume, strong percentage, aerial aggression, and concentration point to a keeper forged under pressure rather than sheltered from it. He is not a ball player and does not need to be. What he brings is accountability. Perform, or there is someone ready. That alone changes the tone of a squad.

There is a quiet satisfaction in securing long-term solutions without noise or excess, in knowing that we now have stability between the posts and time on our side. Time, after all, is the most valuable asset in football – and this is only the beginning.

Between the Lines, Between Duties

This felt like the natural second movement of the same piece, the continuation of an idea rather than a deviation from it, because once stability is secured in one area of the pitch you are immediately confronted with the question of how the rest of the structure behaves without the ball. Recruitment, when done properly, should reduce fragility rather than add flair, and the next two additions reflect that principle with unusual clarity.

Drilon Azemi arrived on my radar not because of a single highlight or a flattering metric, but because of how consistently he survives in demanding environments. At 22, born in Dragas yet shaped by the Albacete academy, he has already demonstrated an ability to adapt across leagues and cultures that many players never develop at any age. Twenty-two appearances in La Liga 2, contributing four goals and ten assists, followed by a move to Avellino in Serie B where he added four goals and four assists in just seventeen matches, tells a story I value deeply: productivity that travels. Second-tier leagues in Spain and Italy are unforgiving, tactically complex, and physically draining, and the fact that Drilon found ways to influence games in both contexts matters more to me than raw totals.

Right now, he is a utility player, and I use that term deliberately rather than apologetically. He is highly mobile, aggressive in duels, eager to carry the ball forward under pressure, and willing to defend from the front with an intensity that aligns perfectly with how we want to function out of possession. His shot volume and goal output suggest a natural instinct to arrive in decisive moments, but what excites me most is his appetite for work when the ball is lost. Long-term, there are clear hallmarks of a player who could be retrained as an attacking full-back; his physical profile, stamina, and defensive instincts saw him used as a wing-back in a back three during his time in Italy, and that possibility remains very much alive. It will take time, education, and patience, but the foundation is there.

Equally important is how he learns. Drilon speaks five languages, and in a dressing room where Spanish, German, and Italian dominate daily communication, that linguistic flexibility is not a novelty but a tactical advantage. He absorbs instruction quickly, asks the right questions, and understands that positional discipline and collective responsibility are currencies that buy trust. For a squad player, that mindset is invaluable.

Peio Etcheverry, in many ways, represents the same idea expressed through a different footballing upbringing. Born in San Sebastián, Basque in instinct and behaviour, carrying a French passport, he spent his entire professional life at Caen, accumulating over eighty appearances in Ligue 2 before enduring relegation and a season in the National. That experience, particularly the disappointment of a failed promotion push, created a natural break point. He wanted a new challenge, and we saw an opportunity to add depth without compromising our ideological spine.

Peio is left-footed, physically robust, and capable of covering large distances repeatedly, attributes that immediately translate to reliability within our structure. He is brave, defends from the front, and understands the value of work without recognition – traits deeply aligned with Iñaki’s footballing beliefs and my own. While his technical ceiling is still developing, this is something we can manage structurally rather than fear; clarity of role, defined zones, and physical freedom can unlock more than chaos ever will. His potential to operate from the right flank and come inside adds another layer of flexibility, particularly when we consider in-game adaptations rather than fixed starting shapes and means the club now has a long term successor to Jano Monserrate.

Neither Drilon nor Peio arrives as a guaranteed starter, and that is precisely the point. They are squad players by design, additions that increase internal competition, support the existing framework, and make the team harder to play against without diluting our threat. They give us options, energy, and tactical compliance, and they reinforce a simple truth: depth is not about quantity, but about trust.

As I look back at this phase of recruitment, there is a quiet satisfaction in how quickly the process has taken shape. In a short space of time, we have been able to translate principles into profiles, and profiles into people who fit both the dressing room and the demands of the pitch. It feels like momentum, controlled rather than rushed – and it reassures me that the foundations we are laying now will hold when the season begins to test us.