Nico Williams has long been linked with a move to Arsenal, with the club reported to be interested in the talented attacker for several seasons. However, any lingering speculation regarding his future was firmly ended this summer when he signed a ten-year contract extension with Athletic Bilbao. The decision came as a surprise to many, especially after he appeared open to a transfer earlier in the window.
The Euro 2024 winner has established himself as one of the most exciting and consistent performers in world football in recent years. As a result, some of Europe’s biggest clubs were keen to secure his signature, including Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Arsenal. Among those, Barcelona made the most significant push, with reports suggesting that Williams had even expressed a desire to join them.
Williams Surprises Europe with Contract Extension
Just weeks ago, the forward appeared set for a high-profile move, having reportedly informed Barcelona of his interest in joining their squad. Yet, in a move that stunned many observers, he chose instead to extend his stay with Athletic Bilbao. The decision effectively ties him to the club for what could be the remainder of his professional career.
Williams has since spoken publicly about the reasons behind his choice. As quoted by Express Sport, he explained:
“I think we have a very long season ahead of us.
We have very ambitious titles like the Champions League, which everyone would like to play in.
What could be better than doing it with the club of my life? I would like to continue making history here at San Mamés, with the fans, with my family, and with a lot of enthusiasm.”
Arsenal’s Long-Term Target Off the Market
For Arsenal, who have followed the player closely, the decision means they will need to look elsewhere for reinforcements in attack. Williams would have been a brilliant addition to the squad in this transfer window, offering pace, creativity, and technical quality. Instead, he appears set to remain at Athletic Bilbao, with the intention of building a legacy at the club where he began his career.
His loyalty will no doubt be celebrated in Bilbao, while Europe’s elite clubs are left to admire from afar a player who could have graced any of their line-ups.
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Nice to see a footballer who appreciates what he has.
Very rare indeed.
Unlike some ungrateful selfish
Good to see a bit of loyalty for a change. But can we now move on from this constant talk about Williams please, enough all ready. 🥱
That’s for sure. As me, Grandad, and I believe a few others had mentioned on JA many months ago, that it seemed from his statements that he was very hesitant to leave his comfort zone with Athletic and had an atypical mentality about the whole thing whether it was with Barca or The Arsenal as suitors.
I fear people may be taking a rather starry-eyed view of Williams here.
My Spanish friends tell me that in fact he used the very firm interest from F C Barcelona (which they had in him last summer as well) to obtain an unheard of 10-year contract with his club at a much-improved salary.
It was similar to the tactics Mbappe used to get a huge new contract extension from PSG when Real Madrid were very interested in him a few seasons ago (prior to his actual move to RM when the extension expired).
There may have been a “loyalty” element in Williams thinking, who knows, but he leveraged, perfectly legally, the interest from elsewhere to get the deal in the end.
Also, despite constant references in this and earlier articles, there was apparently no way he was ever going to leave Spain to join Arsenal.
Your last sentence is the key and it was as true about the Arsenal as it was with Barca. Myself and others on JA saw through those articles because Williams’ own statements going back at least to the last Euros were consistent and what he has now essentially reiterated. I believe he would have stayed at Athletic regardless of the improved terms.
Who knows, but what we do know for sure is that the one big winner out of all of this is … Williams, and precisely because of those improved terms.