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Nico Williams
It is not just his performances at the European Championship in Germany that have made Nico Williams a target of many top clubs. FC Barcelona have increased their interest in the fiery left-back of Athletic Bilbao and the Spain national team, especially with new coach Hansi Flick, president Juan Laporta has publicly acknowledged.
The most remarkable coaching team in football history? Hansi Flick’s very special mix at FC BarcelonaBilbao boss Jon Uriarte is now much more coloured by the speculation surrounding shooting star Williams (contract until 2027). “In recent weeks, Nico has been bombarded with excessive and uncontrolled questions about his future, even though he is with the Spanish national team to play in the European Championship,” Uriarte said in a press conference. “In our opinion, the association did not understand how to protect Nico from this!”
Uriarte accused Laporta and Barca of bad behaviour: “Respect between all players is fundamental to us in football. Our club does not publicly pressure to sign players who are under contract elsewhere.”
The Spanish federation reacted with surprise to Bilbao’s allegations. Williams, who will face England and Spain in the European Championship final in Berlin on Sunday (9pm), has only given interviews at her own request since the quarter-finals.
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