The Nico Williams soap opera ended as a slap for FC Barcelona. Cut to months, announced as a priority by Joan Laporta, the young Spanish winger finally decided to extend at Athletic Bilbao until 2035. And while the pill is struggling to pass Catalan side, now a former club leader adds a layer by openly paying the current president. The message is clear: if he had been there, the story would have been different.
Gaspart attack: “With me, Williams would have signed”
Joan Gaspart, an emblematic ex-president and big mouth of Barça, did not chew his words on Radio Marca. According to him, if Laporta has failed to bring Nico Williams, it is for lack of conviction and passion. “I have already convinced women to let their husbands go to Barça, so Nico, it was easy”he quipped. An acidic statement that strengthens the idea that the club, now weakened, is struggling to attract national talents.
More than the player's refusal is the symbolism that hurts: a Spanish international prefers to prolong in a regional club rather than joining the legendary Barça. Williams did not even allow himself to be seduced by the prospect of wearing the Blaugrana colors. His answer, emotional and identity, was relentless: “I am at home in Bilbao”. For Barça, it is a camouflet, which betrays a weakening as economical as it is symbolic.
Nico Williams: Gaspart pays Laporta after the Camouflet
A mockery revealing a wider discomfort
Already criticized for its immobility on the market, Laporta sees in this case its authority once again questioned. Between financial constraints, unwarmed promises and blurred speeches, the failure of the Williams file could crystallize a climate of distrust around it. Especially since the alternative targets are struggling to convince sportingly as financially.
Gaspart's release is not trivial. It reflects an increasing distrust of a direction incapable of making the difference against a club like Bilbao. Failing to have been able to seduce Williams, Barça will have to seduce its own supporters again … and silence its former presidents.
