DuduBlvck

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[Appie Culé @appiecule]

Two seasons ago, Barcelona went all-in to sign Nico Williams from Athletic Bilbao.

Nico himself gave Barcelona every indication that he loved the club and was willing to make sacrifices to join. But Athletic Bilbao took full advantage of the situation, with documents being leaked (Tebas) and the narrative pushed that Barça were “bankrupt” and would never be able to sign or even register Nico Williams.

The deal eventually collapsed.

Fast forward just two seasons, and look at how quickly the tables have turned.

Barcelona have recovered, strengthened their financial position and once again become a dominant force in the transfer market.

Meanwhile, Athletic Bilbao are now facing serious financial difficulties themselves. According to Capology, Nico renewed last year on a reported €21.36M annual salary for 10 years.

With Athletic’s 2025/26 budget reportedly around €185M, that means roughly 11.5% of the entire budget is going to ONE player.

And this is where the real danger begins.

Giving such a huge percentage of your entire budget to one player creates enormous financial pressure. If that player suffers injuries, underperforms, or the club’s income drops, you are still committed to paying that salary. It also limits how much money you can spend on the rest of the squad, renewals and reinforcements.

Nico himself was limited to just 32 appearances due to injuries, contributing 6 goals and 7 assists.

But the biggest problem is that Athletic have now failed to qualify for the Champions League. That means a significant drop in income this season, which could make their financial situation even more difficult.

And if they fail to qualify again next season, the consequences could become even worse. Less European revenue means even more pressure on a budget that already has one player consuming more than 11% of it.

Then comes another problem: selling him.

When you give a player such an enormous salary, you dramatically reduce the number of clubs capable of signing him. So if Athletic ever need to sell Nico to solve their financial problems, they may discover that very few clubs in Europe can actually afford his wages.

Two seasons ago, they were celebrating Barcelona’s financial struggles and helping push the narrative that Barça were finished and unable to sign Nico.

Today, Barcelona are back on their feet.

Athletic, meanwhile, are the ones facing growing financial pressure.

Funny how quickly the tables can turn. Karma really does hit different.

[DuduBlvck @dudubante]

@Blaugranang So, for me, the debate shouldn't be framed as "he'd be great if only he stayed injury-free." His performances when fit haven't consistently been at the level Barcelona need.

[DuduBlvck @dudubante]

@Blaugranang Hansi Flick preferred other defenders, with Pau Cubarsí becoming a regular starter, while other defensive options were also trusted ahead of him depending on the match. That says a lot about where he stood in the pecking order.

[DuduBlvck @dudubante]

@Blaugranang For another team you said? what happened to his country team uruguay? for years he has not been able to play or even established himself as the main man of his country team cos of injuries and hrash reckless tackles that end up always costing his team losses.

[DuduBlvck @dudubante]

@BETFUSE1 pedri isn't from La Masia but Las Palmas academy

[DuduBlvck @dudubante]

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[DuduBlvck @dudubante]

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[DuduBlvck @dudubante]

The only things trending forever in our lives are #happiness, #love, and #romance. Happy anniversary dear wifey!”