aNico Williams could have been sharing the Barcelona dressing room with Lamine Yamal. Instead, the Spain international is tied to Athletic Club until 2035 – and his agent has finally explained why a move to Catalonia fell through.Felix Tainta has lifted the lid on negotiations that could have transformed Williams' career, revealing that the decisive issue was the lack of guarantees that his client would be able to play regularly.Ghanaian Inaki to his Spanish brother Nico: "I love you, World Champion!"With a World Cup approaching, the winger could not afford to risk losing valuable playing time because of problems at his potential new club."We spoke with Barcelona, and Athletic were, of course, kept informed because I was constantly updating them on the situation, although they were angry with the Catalans over their methods," Tainta explained."After that, I started negotiations, but we reached a point where it became clear that Nico could not afford not to play. Williams is a Formula 1 car. If I come to your house, I shouldn't have to suffer because of your problems. I made that very clear to the people at Barcelona."22.00: (3.20) Valencia (3.30) Ath.Bilbao (2.30) The message was straightforward: Williams needed assurances that he would be able to do his job. Barcelona, according to his representative, were unwilling to provide the guarantees he wanted."We concluded that, without certain guarantees, we could not risk Nico going to Camp Nou and then not playing. With the World Cup coming up, that would have been a blow to him," Tainta added."He is a professional who has to do his job. I come to you to do my job, and I have to be able to carry on doing it. If you have a problem, it should not affect me. If you cannot reassure me that it won't, then I may have to change my decision, and that is ultimately what happened."##EDITORS_CHOICE##Williams signed a new contract in July 2025 that runs until June 2035, potentially keeping him at San Mames until he is 33. The agreement came after years of speculation about his future and gave Athletic a major boost in their battle to retain one of their most coveted players.Tainta also highlighted the financial sacrifices involved in staying. Williams could have allowed his previous deal to run down and moved as a free agent, potentially earning a substantial signing bonus elsewhere."Imagine what Nico could have achieved as a free agent after the European Championship he played. But we realised we could not simply walk away without Athletic receiving a transfer fee," he said.LA LIGA – MATCHDAY 9Friday22.00: (2.10) La Coruna (3.45) Levante (3.50) Saturday15.00: (5.10) Espanyol (3.60) Atl.Madrid (1.73) 17.15: (1.47) Villareal (4.40) Elche (6.75) 19.30: (6.00) Betis (5.40) Barcelona (1.45) 22.00: (3.20) Valencia (3.30) Ath.Bilbao (2.30) Sunday15.00: (2.10) Osasuna (3.50) Santander (3.40)17.15: (2.10) Celta (3.35) Alaves (3.60)19.30: (3.35) Malaga (3.45) Sociedad (2.15) 22.00: (1.25) Real Madrid (6.50) Sevilla (10.0) Monday22.00: (2.90) Getafe (2.95) Rayo Vallecano (2.70) ***odds are subject to change***