Felix Tainta, manager of Spanish winger Nico Williams, has shed light on the saga surrounding the European champion's future and the reasons why he made the surprising decision to re-sign with Athletic Bilbao until 2035 instead of joining Barcelona.
In his guest appearance on the podcast „Los Fulanos“, the agent revealed that financial difficulties and the lack of firm guarantees from the Catalans for the player's registration in the summer of 2025 proved to be a decisive factor.
„We were negotiating with Barcelona and Athletic, of course, was informed about everything, although in Bilbao they were unhappy with the Catalans' approach. During the talks, we reached a point where it became clear that Nico could not risk being out of the game. Nico is like a Formula 1 car and when I go to you, your problems should not become mine. I explained that very clearly to Barcelona.
We decided that without solid guarantees we could not take the risk of Nico going there and not being able to play. He is a professional and has to do his job. When you go somewhere to work, you have to be sure that the club's problems will not affect you. "Since there was no certainty, it was completely normal to change our decision," Tainta said.
Barcelona made a serious attempt to attract the Spanish international after his brilliant performance at Euro 2024, but the list of candidates was impressive.
“Everyone knows about Barca's interest after the 2024 European Championship. Apart from them, Arsenal, Bayern, Liverpool, PSG... Almost every big club showed interest, and it's not easy for a footballer to refuse such teams“, added the impresario.
Tainta also recalled a key moment from the end of 2023, demonstrating the striker's loyalty to the Basque club:
“In December 2023, we re-signed for three years, although shortly after that he could have become a free agent. Imagine what offers and financial bonuses he would have received after Euro 2024 if he had been free. We could have left without a transfer fee and with a huge signing bonus, but we didn't. The boy remained extremely loyal to Athletic.
Nico had the intention of seeking a new challenge. At Athletic you are aware of the limitations – you know that it will be difficult to win the Champions League, and maybe the title in Spain. Despite the tempting offers on the table, in the end he decided to stay in Bilbao“, the agent summarized.