In a recent interview with Caughtoffside, journalist Charles Watts mentioned that Arsenal are keen admirers of Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams. Watts said,
“It’s tough to say right now whether Arsenal will pull something out of the bag late on in the transfer window. I think they should, because I really believe they are a bit light in terms of attackers.
“They have let Emile Smith Rowe go and now Eddie Nketiah and Fabio Vieira are expected to follow him out of the door. I know the three of them played very little football last season, but they were still attacking options that Arteta could have turned to who have now departed.
“So I really believe someone should come in to give Arteta another option in attack. If that doesn’t happen, it will feel like a bit of an underwhelming window for Arsenal in my opinion, despite the decent additions of Riccardo Calafiori and Mikel Merino.
“Nico Williams is a winger we know they like, but that would be a tough deal to get done this late in the window. Yes, he has a release clause which makes it impossible to rule out, but it’s far from clear whether he would even want the move should that clause be activated.
“So if Arsenal are to do something, it looks like being one of those surprise signings that potentially catches us a bit off guard.
“Arteta did hint that something could still happen after the game against Villa and I’m sure he will be pushing for more because he will want as strong a squad as possible ahead of such a demanding season.”
Williams had a great campaign at the Spanish club after he put in a lot of impressive displays for them in the final third. The Spaniard registered eight goals and 19 assists in 37 matches for Athletic Bilbao last season in all competitions.
Williams did well to average 1.8 shots, 1.5 key passes and 2.8 dribbles per game in La Liga. He even distributed the ball well after completing 79.2% of his attempted passes in the top tier of Spanish football (stats via whoscored).
Should Arsenal Boss Mikel Arteta Move In For Him?
Williams is an excellent dribbler with the ball and can use his pace to cause a lot of chaos in and around the opponent’s penalty area. He can create some decent chances for others around him in the final third and can shoot the ball with power from long range.
The Spanish wide player can chip by scoring and creating his fair share of goals from the wide areas. He would bring more firepower to Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta‘s frontline. He is good enough to offer some healthy competition for Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard for a regular first-team spot at the North London club this season.
At 22, Williams has the potential to be a generational talent. Thus, the Gunners would be wise to move in for him in this summer transfer window.
