Unai Vencedor has seen his role at Levante diminish drastically in recent weeks, barely adding a dozen minutes of play as the club fights for survival in La Liga. The 25-year-old midfielder from Rekalde, on loan from Athletic Club, has only started once—at the Bernabéu against Real Madrid—since head coach Luis Castro regained full options in midfield. In the last two matches, Vencedor hasn’t even made the squad without any injury, as Arriaga, Olasagasti, Pablo Martínez, and Raghouber have taken over the engine room, with Oriol Rey also providing competition.
Castro hinted at his stance a few weeks ago: “He’s working well, trying hard. It’s normal that with more players in midfield, it’s more difficult—not just for him, but for everyone,” the Portuguese coach stated. Vencedor’s lack of minutes also penalizes Levante, as the club must compensate Athletic under the typical terms of the Ibaigane club’s loan policy. Under former coach Julián Calero, Vencedor was a regular and played in almost all of the 16 matches he has featured in for the lion this season. He is a former Spain Under-21 international with one more year left on his contract in Bilbao.
Athletic’s new manager, Terzic, will evaluate him during the upcoming preseason in Lezama, where the midfield zone is already quite crowded. Interestingly, Vencedor has often been tied to specific coaches. Under Marcelino García Toral, he was a starter in the base of the midfield line and even earned a contract extension, but with the arrival of Ernesto Valverde, his influence waned, leading to loan spells first at Eibar, then Racing Santander, and last summer to Valencia.
