Andrew Hughes is heading to Bilbao. The former Leeds United cult hero has been hired as set-piece coach at Athletic Club, joining new head coach Edin Terzic’s staff starting next Monday.
Hughes, 44, just finished working with Scotland at the World Cup in the same specialist role. The club confirmed the Manchester-born coach will handle all dead-ball situations, a growing emphasis in modern soccer. He’s logged time on staffs at Crystal Palace, Leicester, Norwich, Sheffield Wednesday, Sheffield United, and Bolton Wanderers since hanging up his boots in 2015.
The Elland Road Years
For Leeds fans of a certain vintage, Hughes is still remembered as that reliable left back who gave everything. He made 139 appearances across all competitions between 2007 and 2010, and was a key piece of Simon Grayson’s 2009/10 League One promotion winners. Not a superstar, but the kind of player supporters appreciate — consistent, tough, and genuinely invested.
He retired and moved into coaching, working his way through the EFL before Steve Clarke brought him into Scotland’s setup for the World Cup. That international experience clearly boosted his profile enough to land this gig in Spain.
Athletic Club’s Bielsa Connection
This isn’t just any La Liga side. Athletic is the same club where Marcelo Bielsa turned heads with that unforgettable 2011/12 season. His team dismantled Manchester United 3-2 at Old Trafford in the Europa League last 32, then finished the job 2-1 at San Mamés. Sir Alex Ferguson never saw it coming. Bielsa’s two years in Bilbao made him a cult figure in European football, and the club still carries some of that identity.
But recent times have been rougher. Athletic finished 12th in the 2025/26 La Liga table, a tight mid-table slog where only three points separated them from relegated Mallorca. Terzic, the former Borussia Dortmund boss, is tasked with turning things around. Hiring a set-piece specialist like Hughes suggests he’s looking for marginal gains — and dead-ball situations are an obvious place to find them.
Hughes will officially start next Monday. No word yet on what Athletic’s players think of the appointment, but Leeds fans online have been quick to send well-wishes. For a guy who once helped drag a club out of League One, this feels like a fitting next chapter.
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