What was expected to be a season of consolidation for Athletic Club has turned into an obstacle course. At Mestalla, the Basque side had to sweat until the last minute to secure their place in the Copa del Rey semi-finals against Valencia (1-2). The initial optimism has faded as the weeks have gone by. Ernesto Valverde's team is hanging by a thread this season. They are just three points above the relegation zone and were recently eliminated from the Champions League, in a sporting context far more fragile than expected. One of the key figures in this defeat is Nico Williams, who has been plagued by injuries.

Now that Nico Williams has decided to renew with AthleticWe can now say what we think without being told we want to add insult to injury. Now that the Basque club, which has become an enemy in the offices of Joan Laporta's Barça, has secured an even more lucrative sale should the Navarrese winger continue to progress, we can now express the uncertainties the player has left us with without fear of being accused of wanting to harm the club and those who run it.

In the summer of 2018, Barça was eyeing the signing of Antoine Griezmann, then Atlético Madrid's star player. The French forward wanted a change of scenery and agreed to wear the Blaugrana jersey to share the team with Leo Messi and company. Talks were not only advanced, but a full agreement had been reached with him. The contract was close to being signed. But at the last minute, he backed out and decided to stay at the Coliseum club. The plot twist caused unrest among the Blaugrana leadership, led by Josep Maria Bartomeu. For the why and the how. And they found out through the documentary. The decision that was prepared by Gerard Piqué's production company, who despite knowing how things would end, did not inform anyone.

I have not had any displeasure about the fact that Nico Williams is not coming to Barça. He's a good player, who at 23 (which he'll turn next week) has a promising future, and who is capable of making his mark on a team with Athletic Club's potential, but for Barça, he wasn't indispensable.

The announcement of Nico Williams's contract extension with Athletic Bilbao until 2035 has taken Barça by surprise and sparked the classic, masculine debate about whether or not the Blaugrana club has made a fool of itself. According to the version already being floated by the Blaugrana club—which is, oh, very upset—it's that the agent is to blame. They say Félix Tainta didn't push hard enough to ensure his client ended up playing with his buddy Lamine at the new Camp Nou, for God's sake. It turns out that after traveling to Barcelona and meeting with Deco, he decided to ask for guarantees that Barça would be able to register him. But hey, who would think of that? After all, he had already confirmed that with Dani Olmo everything has gone smoothly, no problems, not even a single rumbling.

Athletic Club has announced the renewal of Nico Williams' contract until 2035. In a surprising video published this Friday morning, the Navarrese striker confirmed that he will play at San Mamés alongside his brother Iñaki in the coming years. The decision frustrates the signing by Barça, which had prepared the payment of the €58 million release clause for the next few days and had verbally agreed with the player on an ascending contract until 2031. Williams was keen to play alongside his teammate Lamine Yamal, but the guarantees of registration from his agent have caused the rope to break again. Although Barça is closer the 1:1 rule of fair play financial, Uncertainty over player registration continues to affect the plans of the sports management.

It was 2012 when Pep Guardiola's Barça had just defeated Athletic Club—again—in a Copa del Rey final. Calderón. Back then, a certain fraternity between the two sets of fans was also common when they whistled the Spanish anthem. However, it was during this time that the sporting rivalry between the Basques and Catalans took hold: between 2009 and 2021, they defeated them in four Copa del Rey finals. 2 anecdote.

When a player changes teams, he begins a process of adaptation to the new reality surrounding him. In some cases, it takes less time, in others, longer. And there are even footballers who never really get used to the team that signed him. Most changes also test the player's ability to adjust to social changes: a new club, a new city in most cases, and, perhaps, the need to learn a new language and acclimatize to a different league. In this case, Nico Williams, the winger that Barça wants, We might think this process will be a piece of cake.

Nico Williams is eager to play with Lamine Yamal and the path is clear: waiting to resolve the fair play financial, which is the main obstacle that Joan Laporta has had since he won the 2021 elections, Barça has already verbally agreed with him on the terms of his future contract. It would last six seasons to spread out payments as much as possible and limit the salary cap in the short term. It's the same strategy that has been followed with Joan Garcia, who will earn a little more with each passing season. In the case of Williams, it is estimated that he will earn between 8 and 9 million euros net annually, which will put him at the top of the Barça salary scale, but substantially below Lamine Yamal and Robert Lewandowski.

One of the most glaring shortcomings of Hansi Flick's Barça this season has been the lack of valid attacking players. Beyond the trident formed by the prodigious Lamine Yamal, the decisive Raphinha Dias, and the veteran specialist Robert Lewandowski, only Ferran Torres has emerged as a consistent alternative when required for various reasons. Pau Víctor has never been an option considered by the coaches despite his surprising preseason, while Ansu Fati, the antithesis of his precociousness prime, He's had to settle for junk time. Therefore, it's a given that the Catalan club will sign an attacking player this summer to raise their game and compete with confidence in all competitions. This is the intention that emerges from the movements and comments. off the record Joan Laporta and his inner circle of collaborators. It's another matter if Barça's finances then turn ideas into official announcements.

In the summer of 2009, Barça was looking for a left-back to fill the position occupied by Éric Abidal. The club, coached by Pep Guardiola and chaired by Joan Laporta, set its sights on Filipe Luís, a promising young Brazilian who played for Deportivo. But the Galician side, then chaired by Augusto César Lendoiro, flatly refused the transfer. They considered the Barça offer ridiculous. The buyout clause was 20 million euros, and the Catalans were offering nine million euros. At the time, it was a fortune. Lendoiro wouldn't budge, and the player, anguished because he knew he was facing the opportunity of a lifetime, would even take his cell phone to the beach, waiting for a call from his agent that never came. In mid-July, taking advantage of a trip to Milan to negotiate Ibrahimovic's transfer, Laporta agreed with Inter to sign another full-back, Maxwell. At half the price: 4.5 million euros. On the way back, a small group of journalists on guard at the airport demanded an explanation from the president. And Laporta was clear: "Barça must demand respect." When he heard the news, Filipe Luís burst into tears. That train that only comes once had just passed him by.