In a recent tweet, journalist Adrian Sanchez claimed that Barcelona are keeping tabs on Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams. It has been revealed that the Catalan have identified the Spanish talent as a transfer target.
💣NOTICIA: EL BARÇA SIGUE A NICO WILLIAMS
Toda la info: https://t.co/Wdrq6E5koQ
• el club sondeó a su entorno cuando Dembélé decidió salir
• renovará con el #Athletic pero su cláusula no superará los 90M #FCBarcelona #mercato @mas_que_pelotas pic.twitter.com/93hStbDRYe
— ᴀᴅʀɪᴀ́ɴ sᴀ́ɴᴄʜᴇᴢ (@_AdrianSnchz) September 8, 2023
Williams’ Impressive Rise In Spanish Football
Williams has come through the youth ranks of Bilbao and is currently serving as an important member of their first XI. The 21-year-old has made a great start to this La Liga campaign after picking up four assists in four appearances for the Spanish club in the league.
The Pamplona-born talent has been a joy to watch in the final third as he is averaging 1.0 shots, 1.3 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per game in La Liga. He was even accurate when distributing the ball from the back based on his pass success rate of 81.8% in top-flight football (stats via whoscored).
His current deal at Bilbao will run out at the end of this campaign. Hence, Barca could arrange a cut-price move for Williams this January or sign him on a free transfer next summer.
What Will Williams Bring To Barcelona?
Williams can use his quickness to get in behind the opponent’s backline at every chance he gets. He is a good dribbler with the ball and can be a hard man to stop when he is running at full swing in the opposition half.
The Spanish youngster has got the eye to play a few decisive passes in the final third and can even shoot the ball with power from long range. He is primarily a right-winger but can also play as a left-sided wide player if told to do so.
We can expect Williams to bring more firepower to Barcelona boss Xavi’s frontline. He has what it takes to serve as a decent replacement for Ousmane Dembele who left the Catalan club earlier this summer.
At 21, Williams has the potential to become a future star in Spain. He already knows the La Liga well by now and won’t take much time to settle into life at the Nou Camp. Thus, Barca would be wise to snap him up on the cheap in the winter transfer window. Xavi could also opt to wait until Williams runs down his Bilbao contract before signing him on a free transfer at the end of this season.
