Rafa Alkorta, the former sports director of Athletic Bilbao, spoke about Nico Williams' contract renewal with the club in an interview with Cadena Ser.
He emphasized that Williams had been dealing with two favorable choices, but the resolution of his future eventually emphasized the repeated failures of Barcelona instead of the Athletic's triumph model.
Nico Williams officially expanded his contract with Athletic Bilbao until 2035, so he significantly increased his release clause and ended the entire summer speculation about his future. “This was expected; I said last week it wasn't over,” explained all. He noted that although everything appeared on the surface, there were no signs that a club would actually activate the release clause.
Alkorta emphasized that Williams had been in a win-win situation: “If he left, it would be good; if he stayed, it would be just as good.” He emphasized that Barcelona had tried to sign the winger for the second consecutive summer, but again failed. “They tried it last year and failed again this year,” he said.
The most important obstacle was the insistence of Williams on security guarantees for registration. “Nico wanted a clause to avoid a situation like last year [Dani] Olmo, where the release clause was paid, but the registration failed, “explained all.” Without such guarantees, he decided to stay in Athletic. “
In response to the claims that the renewal proved the Athletic's model success model, Alkorta was direct: “This is not a success of the Athletic model, but a failure of Barcelona.” He attributed the breakdown to Barça's inability to offer sufficient registration guarantees in two transfer windows.
Alkorta also spoke the disappointment of fans about Williams' recent silence: “I don't understand why fans are disappointed. We always have to support our players. Nico is a talent with a bright future.”
The most surprising aspect was the duration of the contract until 2035, a decade -long commitment. The original deal from Williams ran until 2027 and the eight -year extension left all surprised. “I thought Nico had a different mindset than Inaki Williams, but I am happy. He will give us a lot of joy,” he added.
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