Aymeric Laporte seems to be leaving Athletic Club Bilbao very much out of the front door.
There’s not a great deal of bad feeling towards the player like there has been previously on other Athletic transfers, and it’s probably because the defender has already turned down Manchester City once.
El Correo’s Patxi Herranz has today written an article which makes clear just how well thought of Laporte is in Bilbao, and shows the attitude towards the player’s impending €65m exit.
Patxi’s brings out a story from his childhood to explain that whilst the Manchester City transfer will hurt, it’s just what happens in football: ‘I have a friend who as a kid had a pet shop. At times he looked distressed at school, and when we asked why, he told us that his parents had sold the parrot. We told him, this is business.’
The article goes on to say ‘we’ll miss Laporte a lot’ and even frames what is called ‘the scare he gave us once a game’ in a positive light.
Laporte is described as a ‘cheerful and committed young man’ and it’s accepted he couldn’t say no to Manchester City for a second time. Indeed, because the Frenchman knocked back City the first time, Athletic are now receiving more money for the player.
Despite that, it’s believed the decision won’t have been easy for Laporte because of his real ‘red and white passion’.
Patxi ends his piece with: ‘That’s why the Lezama (village in Basque country) peppers are so expensive, because our orchard, as well as being ecological, is there for all to see, and the one who does well is noticed from minute one, feelings aside.’
Aymeric Laporte, another parrot the pet shop couldn’t keep, and a pepper snatched away from the orchard.
