Barcelona’s present at the start of LaLiga 2024/25 could not be better, being the only club with an ideal score in these first four matches and with thrashings included, such as last weekend’s 7-0 against Real Valladolid. Beyond this great collective performance, there was a negotiation that the culé club could not close: Nico Williams, the winger and star of Athletic Bilbao.
In the second matchday, the team managed by Hansi Flick welcomed the ‘Basques’ at Montjuic and beat them 2-1, with goals from Yamal and Lewandoski for the Blaugranas, while Sancet had temporarily equalised. After the match, there was a big hug between the winning coach and Williams himself, something that did not go down well with the main directors of the team currently managed by Ernesto Valverde.
Given this situation, Jon Uriarte, the club president, spoke and, beyond stressing that the footballer will continue for another year, he highlighted: “During the summer, Flick’s statements were totally respectful, saying that he was a player for another club. Yes, I was surprised that he had that hug, that he congratulated him for the Euro, I suppose he would do the same with (Dani) Vivian, but I didn’t think so. In any case, for us this chapter is closed since the market is like that and we are only focused on competing.”.
Finally, the president spoke with pride about his club’s project and what the Bilbao team represents for him. “There has been uncertainty in the air because there seems to be an unwritten rule that players must sign for what many call the big clubs. This continues to grow and I would like to remind those who belittle our sense of belonging that Athletic is a great club because of its record, its youth system, its stadium and because it is unique in the world.”
More information on LaLiga 2024/25:
#sharp #comment #president #Athletic #Bilbao #hug #Nico #Williams #Hansi #Flick
