With Bukayo Saka out indefinitely, Ethan Nwaneri sidelined for at least several more weeks, and neither Gabriel Martinelli nor Leandro Trossard in form, it is no surprise Arsenal are keeping an eye on the transfer market. Given the strength of their interest in Athletic Club’s Nico Williams, it should also be no shock that he is still seriously admired.
The Spain star was followed closely over the summer after impressing for both club and country last season. He ended the campaign with five league goals and 14 assists, adding another eight in total from the cup. It was at Euro 2024 that he truly announced himself as a European superstar.
Combining with Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, the pair terrorised defences in Germany on the way to winning the tournament. Arsenal, along with Chelsea and a host of other sides, were already tracking him before that but were left with little choice but to sit up and pay massive attention to his demands after his performances.
Williams hasn’t been able to follow that up with a true statement campaign yet at his boyhood club in Bilbao, but that hasn’t dented the interest.
As a 22-year-old, and part of Athletic’s unique wage structure, the money he commands is enormous. It was one of the reasons – along with a variable release clause standing at over £51million currently – that no true bid was made last year.
To get Williams to the Emirates Stadium would likely require a wage increase from Arsenal and that would immediately make him among the top earners. It could, in fact, break the system that has been methodically put in place over the past few seasons.
