Terzic, 43, was confirmed as Athletic Club's head coach for the next two seasons on May 5, taking the club by surprise with the timing of the announcement. Ernesto Valverde, who is in his third spell in charge, remains at San Mamés until the end of the campaign and received a tribute from supporters before Sunday's home fixture against Valencia.
Uriarte addressed the decision on DAZN ahead of the Valencia match.
"We made the announcement because it made things easier for us in terms of planning for next season — and he was worried about finding somewhere to live and we wanted to be straightforward about it. There will be time to talk about him. For now we have a great deal at stake."
He was insistent that the announcement should not be read as a distraction from a season still live.
"We are competing for European options again and we have to give everything we have left. If we qualify for Europe, the balance of the season would be quite positive."
Valverde had addressed the subject the day before, urging the focus to remain on the present.
"If you talk about these things it seems like you're casting dirt on this season, and we still have things to play for."
Terzic has been out of work since leaving Borussia Dortmund in June 2024, following their Champions League final defeat to Real Madrid, having taken charge of 219 matches across two spells at the club. He won the DFB-Pokal in 2021 and came within a point of the Bundesliga title in 2022/23, losing on the final day. He will be the first foreign manager at Athletic since Eduardo Berizzo in 2018.
Valverde won the Copa del Rey in 2023 — the club's first in 40 years — and returned them to the Champions League for the first time in a decade. The task he leaves his successor is to sustain that upward trajectory.
Athletic are ninth with four games remaining. A top-seven finish is required for European football. Sunday's result against Valencia will shape how realistic that ambition remains.