Nico Williams: three defeats and no goals after turning down Barca

Athletic continues its preparation for the 2025-26 season, in which the Bilbao side will return to the Champions League. Ernesto Valverde's team played two friendlies, losing 4-1 and 3-2 to Liverpool at Anfield on Monday.

In the second of these clashes, the 'Rojiblancos' took to the pitch with most of the starters and presented a much better version, despite the defeat. Among the players chosen by Ernesto Valverde in that second match was Nico Williams, who continues in poor form after turning down Barcelona.

The winger was considered a possible reinforcement for the Catalan club during the start of the transfer window. However, when his signing was already considered a certainty, Nico Williams and Athletic surprisingly announced his renewal with the San Mames team.

Since then, Nico Williams has played in three Athletic pre-season matches, all as a starter, and has been defeated in all of them. First, he lost 1-0 to Deportivo Alaves, then he fell 2-1 to PSV Eindhoven, and to these games is added the aforementioned defeat on Monday, 3-2, against Liverpool.

Nico Williams has totaled 188 minutes on the pitch in these games: 46 against the Vitoria side, 64 against the Dutch side and 78 against the 'Reds'. He has not scored a single goal and has not provided a single assist either.

The player born in Pamplona hopes that this bad phase is only a reflection of the preparation for the new season and is already working to reach his best form with the start of the official competition, where, last season, he registered 11 goals and 7 assists in 45 matches.