ex-Bilbao director on Nico's renewal: It's not our success, but Barça's failure

Rafa Alkorta, the former sporting director of Athletic Bilbao, spoke about Nico Williams' contract renewal with the club in an interview with Cadena SER.

He emphasized that Williams had faced two favorable choices, but the resolution of his future ultimately highlighted Barcelona's repeated failures rather than Athletic's model triumph.

Nico Williams officially extended his contract with Athletic Bilbao until 2035, significantly increasing his release clause and ending all summer speculation about his future. "This was expected; I said last week it wasn't over," Alkorta stated. He noted that while everything appeared settled on the surface, there were no signs that any club would actually trigger the release clause.

Alkorta stressed that Williams had been in a win-win situation: "If he left, it would be good; if he stayed, it would be just as good." He highlighted that Barcelona had attempted to sign the winger for the second consecutive summer but failed again. "They tried last year and failed again this year," he said.

The key obstacle was Williams' insistence on security guarantees for registration. "Nico wanted a clause to avoid a situation like last year with [Dani] Olmo, where the release clause was paid but registration failed," Alkorta explained. "Without such guarantees, he decided to stay at Athletic."

Responding to claims that the renewal proved Athletic's model success, Alkorta was direct: "This is not a success of Athletic's model, but a failure of Barcelona." He attributed the breakdown to Barça's inability to provide sufficient registration assurances in two transfer windows.

Alkorta also addressed fan disappointment over Williams' recent silence: "I don't understand why fans are disappointed. We should always support our players. Nico is a talent with a bright future."

The most surprising aspect was the contract's duration until 2035, a decade-long commitment. Williams' original deal ran until 2027, and the eight-year extension left Alkorta slightly astonished. "I thought Nico had a different mindset from Inaki Williams, but I'm delighted. He'll bring us much joy," he added.