Head coach of the Spanish national team spoke about how the transfer rumors are affecting Williams

Earlier this week, Athletic Bilbao president Jon Uriarte expressed his frustration over constant media speculation regarding the future of Nico Williams. He was particularly annoyed by questions about a possible move to Barcelona, and accused the Spanish Football Federation of not adequately protecting the player from these rumors.

In an interview with RNE via Relevo, Luis de la Fuente defended the Federation from Uriarte's criticism.

"We absolutely protect our players, but they have freedom. We understand that things happen off the field, and we recognize that such situations are natural. We have discussed this with the players, and they are focused on the current tasks. How they choose to respond to questions in interviews and handle these moments is their personal matter. They have the right to say 'yes' or 'no.'"

The future of Williams will remain a hot topic in the coming weeks, with new speculation almost certain to arise after the conclusion of Euro 2024 on Sunday. For now, the young winger is fully focused on playing for the Spanish national team.