Athletic Club icon criticises Barcelona director over Nico Williams saga: 'Threw the boy to the wolves' | Barca Universal

""I thought what he did was wrong. He threw the boy, who had a contract with Athletic, to the wolves," he said. "That really shocked me, knowing that Deco was a footballer and understands the quicksand that surrounds these circumstances." "I think Nico's representatives did the right thing in saying to Barça: 'OK, if you have no problem with the lad, sign one of these clauses in the contract' and that's it," he said, referring to the release clause that the player's camp asked for in case the Blaugrana would be unable to register him. "And Barça said no because they knew they couldn't do it 100%. And that's it, there's no more to it than that," Alkorta added."

""The question is: why didn't Barça sign that clause? Because they knew they weren't 100% sure they could field the player from the first league match. "The player and his representatives said they were staying here, a"

Nico Williams seemed set to join Barcelona after the club prepared to pay his release clause and reached an agreement on a contract. The player unexpectedly reversed his decision and signed a long-term deal with Athletic Club. Rafa Alkorta criticized Barcelona director Deco for speaking openly about the negotiations and for exposing a contracted player. Alkorta explained that Williams' representatives requested a registration clause to protect the player if Barcelona could not register him, and that Barça declined because they were not certain they could field him from the first league match. Alkorta framed Barcelona's refusal as decisive.

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