Joan Gaspart couldn't understand all of the fuss caused by Nico Williams' decision to turn down a move to Barcelona in favour of signing a lucrative new deal with Athletic Club. "The player has used us in a good way," the former Blaugrana president told EL 10 del Barca on August 3. "He's gotten a good contract, and I'm happy for him."
Gaspart also argued that missing out on Williams, for the second consecutive summer, would also prove a blessing in disguise, as the Catalans picked up Marcus Rashford on a season-long loan from Manchester United three weeks after Williams extended his stay at San Mames until 2035. "Rashford is better than Nico," Gaspart insisted.
At the time, you would have been hard pressed to have found anyone that would have agreed with one of the worst presidents in Barca's history. A lot has changed in the interim, though, because while a resurgent Rashford is now regarded as one of Barca's best players, Williams is struggling terribly for both form and fitness at Athletic.
Getty Images Sport'Life goes on'
Barca first tried to sign Williams last year, and one could understand why. The club may have been once again struggling to adhere to La Liga's financial regulations, but the buy-out clause in the Basque winger's contract was €58 million (£51m/$67m), which felt like an opportunity too good to pass up.
Williams had just played a key role in Spain's Euro 2024 triumph alongside his good friend Lamine Yamal, and the prospect of the pair working in tandem at club level too didn't just excite everyone in Catalunya; it was also a tantalising prospect for football fans all across the globe. However, Williams ultimately decided to stay at San Mames for at least another year, so Barcelona ended up signing Spain attacking midfielder Dani Olmo instead.
“Nico is a player who, yes, we were interested in during the summer," Barca sporting director Deco told in November of last year. "We tried to bring him in, but from there, the player made a decision, and life goes on.
"We brought in Dani Olmo, who was our priority because we didn’t have that type of player in our squad. The idea with Nico was to add more competition upfront, because we wanted high-level competition, but once the player shows no interest in coming, there's no further discussion." And there wasn't, until the end of last season.
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Raphinha ostensibly served as Barca's left winger during their domestic treble triumph last season, but he repeatedly drifted into more central areas – and to devastating effect, with the Brazilian racking up 57 goals and assists in all competitions (more than anyone else across Europe's 'Big Five' leagues bar Liverpool's Mohamed Salah).
Consequently, Hansi Flick was keen to move Raphinha into the No.10 role that the frustratingly inconsistent Olmo had failed to make his own while dealing with niggling injuries and almost incessant uncertainty surrounding his registration as a Barcelona player, meaning that when the transfer window reopened during the summer of 2025, the Blaugrana once again went looking for a world-class left winger.
Liverpool's Luis Diaz was their primary target, but the €75, (£66m/$86m) asking price represented a major problem for the cash-strapped Catalans, so it came as no surprise to see the Colombian ended up at Bayern Munich instead. Rashford, thus emerged, as a very attractive proposition for book-balancing Barcelona, given he was available on loan with a view to a permanent transfer for a knockdown fee.
However, it was at that point that Barcelona were made aware of Williams' interest in belatedly joining the Blaugrana. There was one major catch, though.
Getty Images'No player is going to impose restrictions on us'
Having seen what Olmo went through during the first half of last season, Williams quite wisely wanted a release clause inserted into his contract in the event that Barca were unable to register him in time for the start of the Liga season. It was by no means an unprecedented request. As well as Olmo, Ilkay Gundogan and Jules Kounde had also previously secured release clauses upon joining Barcelona.
However, the Blaugrana refused to grant Williams one – not least because they would have lost Olmo for nothing last season had the Catalan not been so determined to stay at the club.
"We said we wouldn't accept the conditions they set us because no player is going to impose any restrictions on us, and in the end, nothing happened," Deco told on September 30. "We gave them a deadline to respond, but they didn't respond; they went their way, and we went ours."
And the collapse of the deal has worked out very well for Barca.
Getty Images Sport'Important player'
Williams started the season in sensational fashion for Athletic, scoring one goal and creating two others in the Basques' opening-weekend win over Sevilla. However, he's not been directly involved in a single strike since, primarily due to a chronic groin problem called pubalgia – which has also sidelined Yamal in recent weeks – and has ruled the 23-year-old out of his side's crucial Champions League clash with Newcastle on Wednesday.
Rashford, by complete contrast, looks fitter and sharper than he has done for two years. After a slightly slow start to his Barca career, the Englishman has gone from strength to strength since netting a brilliant brace in the 2-1 win at St James' Park on September 18.
Raphinha's own injury has obviously freed up space in the Barca attack for Rashford, but enormous credit must go to the 28-year-old for making the most of his chance to shine. Indeed, going into Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Club Brugge, Rashford has been involved in more goals in all competitions (11) than any other member of Flick's squad so far this season.
"I'm happy with him," the German coach told reporters after Rashford scored the killer third goal in Sunday's 3-1 win over Elche. "I knew he could play at this level and he's shown it. He's an important player."