This recent summer transfer window saw FC Barcelona be linked to several outstanding players. It seemed that the happenings during the European Championship greatly influenced these links, and for good reason. However, for better or for worse, Barcelona ultimately ended up making only one blockbuster signing.
Initially, the Catalan giants were primarily linked to the possibility of signing both Nico Williams and Dani Olmo. One was a standout winger hailing from Athletic Club and the other was a former La Masia talent who was now impressing at RB Leipzig, and their uniquely impressive performances at the Euros managed to catch Barça’s eyes.
While Olmo ended up arriving this summer and is now a key player within Hansi Flick’s Barcelona, Nico Williams has remained at Athletic Club. Much of the attention after the conclusion of the transfer window has also gone towards his agent, Felix Tainta, who many believe may have been trying to get the player to move to Barça all along.
However, as highlighted by SPORT, the agent recently revealed his own truth amidst the rumors that he unsuccessfully tried to get Nico Williams to sign for Barcelona over the course of the summer: “The player decided to stay for another year. We are here to support him in all his decisions and provide advice.”
To take off the pressure or allegations against him independently, the agent confirmed that it was the player’s decision ultimately and that he was not at all forcing him to make any decisions that Nico Williams himself did not want to make:
“He wanted to stay. It proves that when a player wants to remain at a club, they stay, and when they want to leave, they go. It’s not the agent who puts a gun to their head and says, ‘Leave, I want you to go where I want you to.’”
Furthermore, he guaranteed that the decision-making is ultimately a freedom that belongs to the player and his family. His own influence in getting the player to move to Barcelona or not becomes meaningless unless all parties are on board:
“The player and their family have complete freedom. It’s easy to attack the agent; we always get the blame. Every player decides where they want to be.”
As for the performances of Nico Williams during the Euros, which took place alongside the record-breaking displays of Lamine Yamal, the €70m-rated player’s agent was full of praise for the Athletic Club star who he represents:
“Incredible, spectacular… He confirmed for me that he was the best player of the Euros. Obviously, we had a lot of movement and many travels; it was an intense and stressful summer.”
Beyond this season, however, Nico Williams’s future remains uncertain. Barcelona continue to hope that they can still sign him in the next summer, as they look to stick to their original plan. Until then, however, Hansi Flick’s men will have to count on who they already have to work towards their objectives.
