‘The situation with Nico made us uncomfortable‘ — Ernesto Valverde talks about the relations between Barcelona and Athletic Club | OneFootball

FC Barcelona are set to take on Athletic Club at the Spotify Camp Nou in La Liga. There is no love lost between the two clubs in recent seasons, much of it stemming from the Nico Williams saga.

The Catalan side tried to sign the winger for two successive summers, only to be thrown a curveball at the end of it all. Eventually, Nico signed a ten-year deal with the Basque club, effectively shutting the door on a potential move to Barcelona.

With the two teams set to face each other tomorrow, Ernesto Valverde was asked if there was any animosity between the clubs. As quoted by Mundo Deportivo, he said:

“I don’t feel that way. It’s true that between clubs and teams, sometimes due to certain circumstances, there can be some tension, and the situation with Nico made us uncomfortable — I suppose for them and for us. These are things that happen regularly in football. People talk more than what actually happens. We are two teams that compete strongly and well, and that’s the only thing I need to focus on.”

Valverde has a lot of history with Barcelona. He managed the Catalan club from 2017 to midway through the 2019–20 season and, since moving to Athletic Bilbao, has done a very good job with them.

Photo by Alex Caparros/Getty Images

Last season, when Athletic came to Montjuïc to face Barcelona, the crowd booed Nico Williams at every touch. There is no doubt that the animosity towards him will continue after what happened in the summer. Valverde also commented on how Camp Nou would receive Nico:

It remains to be seen how the situation around Nico evolves tomorrow. Athletic Club have poked their nose into Barcelona’s business even when it does not matter. Let us see how the renovated Camp Nou reacts to their Basque opponents on Saturday.