Former Athletic Club director hits out at Deco over Nico Williams saga – ‘It’s unheard of’ | OneFootball

As the potential signing of Nico Williams by FC Barcelona nears its conclusion, voices from around Athletic Club continue to express discontent over the situation.

The latest to speak out is the Basque club’s former player and ex-director Rafa Alkorta, who did not hesitate to describe the entire affair as “murky” during his appearance on El Larguero (h/t SPORT).

Alkorta played for Athletic Club (1987-1993 and 1997-2002), Real Madrid (1993–1997), and the Spanish national team, and later served as the Basque club’s sporting director between 2019 and 2022.

Alkorta critical of Deco, Laporta

During his segment on El Larguero, Alkorta was blunt in his assessment of Barcelona’s conduct in the pursuit of Nico Williams.

“What Deco has done with Nico Williams is unnecessary, it is unheard of and I think it is terrible,” he said, criticising the Barcelona sporting director for his public comments on the winger’s interest in making the switch.

Nico Williams is edging closer to Barcelona. (Photo by Denis Doyle/Getty Images)

“I have said it several times, last year something similar happened and I don’t know if it was because they foresaw that they were not going to be able to register him,” Alkorta added, referencing the similar situation that occurred with Dani Olmo last summer.

Speaking about the registration guarantees that Nico’s camp has allegedly requested from Barcelona, he added:

“I think it’s phenomenal that from Barcelona they assure that everything is going well and that they are going to pay all the money, but I also think it’s good that Nico’s representatives want to be sure that their player is not going to miss any games.”

Alkorta defended Nico and his agent’s stance in the negotiations, stating: “If this is happening, it is because there is something a bit murky again, like last year, that if the 1:1 rule is in place… either that or they deceive us all and it’s all done.”

The former Athletic Club and Real Madrid centre-back again referred to last year’s case when Barcelona eventually signed Olmo instead of Nico.

“It seems incredible to me because last year it seems that the signing was done, but the truth is that something always happens and there is nothing clean,” he concluded.