Tottenham Hotspur have joined London rivals Chelsea and Arsenal in the race to sign Bilbao winger Nico Williams as per a report in The Daily Mirror.
Spanish daily Estadio Deportivo, Bilbao wish to hold onto Nico Williams but the contract he signed back in December has a release clause of just £43 million which will make it almost impossible for the Spanish side to keep him at the club beyond the summer.
Bilbao has agreed on a deal to sign Alvaro Djalo from Braga and many think he is a direct replacement for Nico Williams even though the club’s football director is claiming otherwise.
“The incorporation of Djaló has nothing to do with Nico,” director of football Mikel González has claimed. “We renewed him until 2027, we see him super happy. He wants more and wants to play in Europe. He has nothing to do with it.”
Chelsea and Arsenal have been scouting the 21-year-old for some time and now Spurs have also joined the bandwagon. Some rumours are suggesting that Aston Villa manager Unai Emery is also a big fan of the left-winger and despite his club’s negative balance sheet, he will ask them to go after Williams at the end of this season.
Is Nico Williams worthy of playing for a top EPL team?
Williams is a Bilbao academy product and since making his senior debut, the winger has played 113 games for the Spanish side in all competitions.
He’s primarily a left-winger but can also play on the right-hand side and this season, he’s caught the attention of the big clubs with his performances.
In 23 league appearances, Nico Williams has scored and assisted 10 goals and he has an xG of 4.18 and an xA of 5.21. While he is not great at making defensive contributions the youngster is great with the ball at his feet and he’s a great dribbler.
At Arsenal and Spurs, Williams will have to prove his worth because players like Martinelli, Richarlison and Son are all much better players at the moment. Chelsea is the only team where he can get guaranteed game time because Pochettino is yet to find his favourite left-winger.
Nico Williams is having back-to-back good seasons with Bilbao and while he still has a lot to prove, at £43 million, he can be a great buy for a top-tier Premier League side.
