Athletic Club dealt blow for Sevilla clash as international federation won’t allow key man to play

Inaki Williams is having an excellent season with Athletic Club, having amassed eight goals and three assists in 18 La Liga appearances. As such, Los Leones currently sit in fifth place, only four points behind Barcelona in the race for the Champions League places.

Athletic kick off their 2024 adventure against struggling Sevilla at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan on Thursday. Despite the hosts’ struggles this season, it will be a very tough fixture for Ernesto Valverde’s side, and it has been made even harder as they won’t have the older Williams brother at their disposal.

Athletic have been in dialogue with the Ghanian Football Federation of late in regards to Williams being allowed to join the national squad late ahead of the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations. However, the Basque club have not got their wish, having confirmed that the 29-year-old will leave on Monday.