)
)
Ghana international and Athletic Club's captain has launched a scathing attack on Barcelona, accusing them of spreading falsehoods and running a dirty tricks campaign to try and poach his younger brother this summer.
Inaki Williams pulled no punches when discussing Barcelona's pursuit of Nico, claiming the Catalan giants told outright lies during their failed attempt to lure the 22-year-old away from Bilbao.
The saga began when Barcelona made another attempt to sign Nico after chasing him last summer. Reports suggested that whilst Barcelona were tracking Luis Diaz, Nico's representative contacted sporting director Deco to express interest in a Camp Nou move.
However, after three weeks of uncertainty and Barcelona's inability to guarantee the player's registration, Nico penned a new contract with Athletic running until 2035. Barcelona president Joan Laporta has publicly confirmed this version of events.
)
)
)
Inaki claims Barcelona used dark media tactics
But Inaki wasn't having any of it. Speaking during pre-season, he tore into Barcelona's methods, claiming they planned a media campaign designed to mount pressure on both his brother and the club. He’s quoted by Football Espana as saying:
We all know how the world of football works. They wanted to apply pressure on Athletic, on my brother. They put together a media campaign that they thought would work. I think, us, Athletic as a club, when we want a player, we do it under the radar.
READ ALSO: Ghana will win the WAFCON soon - Black Queens coach confident after winning bronze
The Black Stars player went further, suggesting Barcelona's public approach caused serious damage beyond just football matters. He explained:
It's done a lot of damage. It's sullied a lot of things. Many of the things that they said, that were leaked to the media or on social media, were lies. I'll be honest, my brother had more or less taken the decision, but we still had to put together and redact a contract that was very large. To commit until 2035. You couldn't just announce it from one day to the next.
Williams family affected by transfer saga
The situation reportedly escalated beyond mere media speculation, with real-world consequences for the Williams family. Inaki revealed disturbing incidents that showed how ugly the transfer saga became. The 31-year-old further disclosed:
Things happened that sullied what Athletic wanted to achieve. They vandalised the mural twice, they went to my brother's house, they broke one of the windows of his car. Things that happen that maybe people don't know, but that have a big impact on a footballer. On what he has decided.
)
Inaki and Nico Williams
And it's very easy, from the sofa, to say 'why didn't you do this?', or 'why didn't you say that?', when you're suffering on a personal level. And my brother has suffered, and as the captain of Athletic Club, it's not easy.
MUST READ: How the Ballon d'Or winner is decided: Does it favour Dembele or Lamine Yamal?
This isn't the first time Barcelona have faced criticism for using public pressure tactics during transfer pursuits, nor the first time such methods have backfired.