For weeks, his name was one of the most repeated in the offices at Camp Nou. Nico Williams was on Barça's radar as a possible star signing. However, his decision to renew with Athletic until 2034 has been received with more relief than disappointment at the Catalan club.
In reality, Barça have taken a weight off its shoulders.
Deco never saw it clearly
While Joan Laporta and Flick were in favor of signing him, Deco always had serious reservations. The sporting director wasn't convinced by either the manner or the substance of the operation. Not even Nico's undeniable talent, in his opinion, outweighed the collateral risks that his arrival would entail.
One of Deco's greatest fears was the player's entourage. Specifically, that a "clique of friends" would form with Lamine Yamal and other young players in the squad. This is a situation the club has experienced in the past, with consequences that were far from ideal for the harmony of the locker room.
Barça want to avoid closed groups and behaviors that could break the team's unity. Nico Williams's arrival was met with suspicion. They understood he could be "bad company" for Lamine Yamal, the true star of the team.
Out-of-place demands
On top of all this, there were the conditions imposed by his entourage, which were never well received in the offices. According to Mundo Deportivo, Nico Williams and his agent, Félix Tainta, requested an automatic release clause if the player couldn't be registered due to the club's financial problems.
Barça didn't like that someone with so little experience wanted to protect himself in that way. Neither Joan García nor Dani Olmo, who were also on the club's radar, demanded anything similar. In Nico's case, moreover, it was his own representative who offered him to Barça again, not the other way around, which ended up tiring more than one member of the board.
Deco wanted Luis Díaz
What Deco was clear about was his preference: Luis Díaz, the Colombian winger from Liverpool. A more mature footballer, without such a marked entourage and with a more professional attitude.
However, he accepted the possibility of bringing in Nico if Flick and Laporta decided so. In the end, it wasn't necessary.
Nico's renewal with Athletic until 2034 is now official. This decision puts an end to the saga and has been received with discreet satisfaction at Camp Nou. Not because of his quality, which no one disputes, but because Barça need players committed to the project, not to their own conditions.