Arsenal have yet to make a move during the summer transfer window but there is no sense of worry at the Emirates. Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu are committed to strengthening the Premier League.
One of the key factors in the rise and rise of the Gunners in recent years has been a remarkable return to the market, as they have overcome various difficulties to build a balanced and high-quality squad.
Benjamin Sesko, last week, broke the hearts of the Premier League as he announced that he will stay at RB Leipzig. At 21 years of age, the Slovenian striker probably made a smart call, continuing to improve his skills last season, scoring 18 goals in 42 games.
Signing a top striker has been a priority for a while but given the outstanding form of Kai Havertz and the lack of top options on the market, Arteta and Co could turn to other positions.
Arsenal are looking for a talented winger
According to Pol Ballus of The Athletic, Arsenal have included Spain's Euro 2024 star Nico Williams on their 'wish list', the Athletic Bilbao midfielder who has earned a reputation as a walking, treacherous client.
A host of Premier League rivals – as well as Barcelona – admire the 21-year-old but Arteta will be hoping that his exciting project and success in recent seasons will carry on.
Williams has a €58m (£49m) release clause in his contract and with the Gunners turning their transfer cannon towards the striker, this could be a possible deal for the north London outfit.
Nico Williams' style of play
Born and raised in the Basque Country, Williams enjoyed a dream start to his career, working in trade with his brother, Inaki, and won the Copa del Rey last season, ending his 40-year wait for the trophy.
Last season, he scored eight goals and provided 19 assists in 37 games in all competitions, using his speed and power to get into dangerous spaces and frustrate his opponents.
To prove these features: according to FBref, the 5 foot 9 star is ranked among the top 2 percent of attacking midfielders and top players in all five top European leagues in the last year for assists, top 20% of shooting actions, top of 7% of ongoing shipments and a top 6% of 90 successful pickups.
Such qualities have led FBref to rank Gabriel Martinelli as a similar player to the Spaniard, with the Arsenal left-back also targeting and abusing on his day but struggling last season, scoring eight goals in 44 games and adding just five assists.
Martinelli, 23, has been described as “unplayable” by pundit Owen Hargreaves in the past but left a lot to be desired last year, making, on average, 1.3 key passes and completing 1.1 dribbles per game in the top flight. Williams, however, outplayed him, averaging 1.5 assists and 2.8 dribbles per game.
These figures suggest that he will come to the Emirates to improve the Brazilian, due to his high quality in the final third when it comes to creating high chances for his teammates.
He registered 14 more assists in seven fewer appearances than Martinelli during the 2023/24 campaign and could provide Arsenal's forwards with plenty of scoring opportunities next term.
He's not yet a top goalscorer but this isn't really front and center in his style. Instead, Williams plays with an unselfish, no-holds-barred flair that allows him to pick his teammates and improve his team's attacking fluidity.
Such players can have a huge impact, as evidenced by Williams' performance with Spain at Euro 2024 so far, particularly enjoying a stunning display as his country confidently beat Italy 1-0 in their second group game, having dispatched Croatia 3-0.
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Nico Williams: Statistics for Euro 2024 vs Italy |
|
|---|---|
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Statistics |
# |
|
Minutes played |
78' |
|
To touch |
60 |
|
Accurate passes |
27/29 |
|
A gun was taken |
2 |
|
Chow down on wood |
1x |
|
Key passes |
4 |
|
Dribble attempts |
4/10 |
|
Duels won |
6/21 |
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Statistics with Sofascore |
|
Victory UEFA Player of the Match in that regard, the exciting young forward has the creative and attacking style to make a real impact in the Premier League, and Arsenal must ensure that they secure his services.
Think Nico Williams and Bukayo Saka
Playing with an electric style down the left, Williams would be the perfect partner for Bukayo Saka in the second. Saka needs no introduction, having emerged as one of the most exciting talents in English football over the past few years.
Like his Spanish counterpart, the Three Lions have been in poor form last term, scoring 16 goals and nine assists in 35 Premier League games, an average of 2.5 key passes, an average of 1.5 tackles, which is among the most successful duels 5.9.
His creative prowess and finesse have been crucial to Arteta's side's success, and while many have called for a more central midfielder, developing a left-back to create a more balanced feel out wide could be the key to success.
Think, for a moment, about the options that might arise for captain Odegaard, the moments to split the defense open like a flower in spring.
The Norwegian ranked in the top 4% of midfielders in Europe's top five leagues in the past year for assists, top 2% for continuous passes and top 1% for shots per 90. The main distributor, will be a duality of overlapping quality to wrap the opposing defenses in, forcing and suffocating.
Related
Arteta is very close to being Arsenal's first signing of the summer with a £42 million forward
It would be a real coup.
The Gunners must now go ahead and secure a deal for the Spain international before the summer transfer window closes at the end of August, given the quality he could add to Arteta's squad next season.
His stats in LaLiga suggest the potential is there for him to improve on Martinelli and Saka's lethal partner at the other end of the pitch, which is why Williams could arrive in London as a good and exciting player for fans to watch. forward to see if they can get a deal over his line.
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