Athletic president blasts Spanish FA after ‘excessive’ Nico Williams demands
Athletic president Jon Uriarte has hit out at the Spanish national side for not protecting star player Nico Williams from being asked about his transfer future while at Euro 2024.
The Bilbao-based winger has been a key player for Luis de la Fuente’s side out in Germany, helping them to reach Sunday’s final against [checks notes] England with several eye-catching performances.
Some of those eyes may well belong to clubs across the continent, though we must stress we mean that in a purely figurative sense and are not in any way suggesting transfer supremos at any major European clubs are sick organ harvesters with an ocular fixation.
Williams has been linked with numerous clubs over the past few months despite signing a new deal at the San Mames Stadium midway through last season; Arsenal have been particularly heavily connected over the past few days with Liverpool, Chelsea and Barcelona all said to be keen as well, especially with a tempting release clause said to be around €55m (£46.2m)
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Williams has been asked repeatedly about those links throughout Euro 2024, generally giving the line of questioning short shrift, and club president Uriarte has made clear his displeasure at the Spanish football federation (RFEF) for not stepping in to put a stop to it.
He said: “Nico, a footballer who is very committed to Athletic Club, has been subjected to a bombardment of questions about his future in an excessive and uncontrolled manner, when he is concentrated to play in the European Championship by the Spanish Football Federation, which has not known how to protect him.”
Probably because the interests being protected there are yours and not his so it’s not really their job, Jon?
He went on: “Athletic Club is financially, socially and sportingly capable of keeping players of the calibre of those mentioned, including Nico Williams, in its structure.”
Seemingly never having met a journalist before, Williams himself had commented earlier in the tournament: “I just extended my contract at Athletic not long ago. I am very comfortable there – very happy. I have just signed a new deal, it feels very weird that you ask me about my future.”
Mmmm eyes.
