What we can already say about Nico Williams

Now that Nico Williams has decided to renew with Athletic, we 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 finally express ourselves. Now that the footballer has capitalized on the Culera's hopes of becoming a millionaire, we can now let go of the uncertainties his signing generated in us without fear of being accused of wanting to harm the club and those who run it.

Indeed, there were several reasons to doubt the advisability of bringing Williams into the Barça dressing room. To begin with, the criteria of Hansi Flick and Anderson Luís de Souza, Deco, both in favor of strengthening the squad with Luis Díaz, a more complete and experienced winger than the Athletic Club striker, who will now be just 23. Despite Lewandowski's advanced age, rejuvenating the forward line was not the coach and sporting director's first priority. However, when Williams' offer arrived, they welcomed it, as did Laporta, who in just two days went from being angry about the 2024 decision to moving heaven and earth to secure a signing that would have further strengthened his overwhelming popularity.

Since the president's thumbs-up, all the loudspeakers have played the same heavenly music about a footballer who scored only five goals in La Liga last season. With Barça outside the 1:1 rule due to a financial hole that was only repaired by dint of lever and sales in extremis, they wanted to pay more than 60 million for a player who wasn't the coaches' first choice. The investment was based more on the excitement of people enamored with the idea of seeing Lamine Yamal with their favorite partner in adventure, than on footballing reasons. Not to mention the dangers that precisely this camaraderie could generate in a dressing room that has known complacency in recent decades.

After Williams legitimately requested written protection in case he wasn't registered and finally ended up renewing with Athletic Club, suddenly the entire fan base hoping to see him in Barça has turned to reproaching the player for not trusting the still-powerful Laporta, who always... Only at this point have reasonable doubts about the deal emerged in published opinion. Before that, when it was said that the release clause would be paid on July 1, Williams was little less than the signing of the century. Now, with the rejection still fresh in our minds, the same people who applauded Barça's determination with their ears are saying the club has dodged a bullet. More coherence and less populism.