Arsenal and Chelsea are potentially chasing Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams in the summer.
Nico Williams, 21, has steadily become one of the best young talents in La Liga and has put in some incredible performances for Athletic Bilbao over the last couple of campaigns. The highly-rated winger has been a joy to watch this season, racking up 15-goal contributions across all competitions already. Thus, it isn’t surprising to see a long queue of suitors for the youngster’s signature.
Arsenal and Chelsea have reportedly sent scouts to watch Nico Williams in action multiple times this season. Chelsea have been admirers of the Spain international and were interested in signing him last summer. Despite the 21-year-old only signing a new contract in December, he could move out of Athletic Bilbao in the summer with the race for his signature completely open.
Arsenal set to battle Chelsea for Nico Williams
Arsenal would do well to bring in a quality winger to provide some rest to Bukayo Saka, who has played continuously over the last three seasons. The England international has arguably been the Gunners’ most important player under Mikel Arteta but he has to be managed well to avoid a potential burnout in the future.
Nico Williams, in that regard, would be a perfect fit for Arsenal. The Spanish winger can operate on either flank and should be a smashing option to rest and rotate with Saka, whilst enhancing the Gunners’ squad depth.
As for Chelsea, Mauricio Pochettino is looking at different options to make his attack click as a unit. They would also surely profit from bringing in Williams as an upgrade on Mykhaylo Mudryk, whose career at Stamford Bridge is yet to take off. Noni Madueke has also blown hot and cold, while Christopher Nkunku has yet to attain full fitness.
At 21, Williams would fit the profile of signings that Chelsea have made under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital. However, if the west London club fail to finish in the European spots, especially in the Champions League, they might lose out on a talent like Williams.
Considering Arsenal’s position in the table, they currently have the edge over their London rivals in the race for the Bilbao starlet. However, should the Gunners decide to sign Williams, they need to trigger the €60 million release clause in his contract.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
