The summer soccer season has left Barça at the center of the storm after the surprising contract renewal of Nico Williams with Athletic Club. What for weeks seemed to be the star signing of Hansi Flick's project ended, abruptly, in disappointment. Controversy quickly reached the TV studios, where authoritative voices like El Lobo Carrasco's didn't hesitate to point to the blaugrana club for their management of this matter.
Carrasco, forceful: "It wasn't done, there was too much haste"
In the latest edition of El Chiringuito, Lobo Carrasco was clear and direct. For him, Barça's main mistake was assuming a signing was closed that was never guaranteed. "It wasn't done. It wasn't done. For me, there was too much haste," he stated as soon as he began his remarks. The former footballer and analyst emphasized that, despite the excitement caused, the club got ahead of itself and let emotion take over before having the deal signed.
In sporting terms, Carrasco didn't hide his admiration for Nico Williams's talent and his perfect fit in the new coach's plans. "Nico was a ring that fit perfectly on Hansi Flick's finger. He's the one Flick wanted, in fact, for the price, for many reasons, but above all because he's a pure winger." Even so, he insisted that the player's willingness was good, but the deal never fully materialized: "Many details were finalized... The only thing is that it wasn't done."
Criticism of Barça for selling the bear's skin before hunting it
One of the harshest points of Carrasco's analysis came when he accused the blaugrana club of "selling something before catching it." In his opinion, part of the problem came from the board's and the media environment's overconfidence, who went so far as to present the signing as imminent before a final agreement was reached. "It's a failed negotiation because of that," he concluded, stressing that "you can't say it's done" when the reality is far from definitive.
For Carrasco, proper management would have involved keeping discretion and respect for the parties involved, especially for Athletic Club. He also advocates for raising the white flag with Athletic Club at a time when institutional relations between both clubs are more tense than ever.
"With Athletic Club, the first thing I'd do is reach an understanding, bring positions closer, sit at a table president to president, people representing those two great, enormous clubs... to smooth things over, to create a future project not in common, but yes, of respect," he proposed.
El Lobo Carrasco also wanted to share his vision from his experience in the offices, aware of how unpredictable the transfer market can be. "I know how other types of negotiations have gone, but I also know how they can fall apart, how they can change course," he recounted, emphasizing the importance of never taking anything for granted in these kinds of deals. "What you can't do is say 'it's already done.' You can't say that."