Athletic Bilbao’s young star, Nico Williams, is one of the hottest goods on the European football market at the moment. The brilliant teenager drew the attention of top Premiership teams, and it wouldn’t be odd to see him changing the kits until the end of the summer transfer window.
This is yet another product of the Athletic Bilbao academy, one of the best in Spain and throughout Europe, which recently got a new chief, Sergio Navarro. This season could be as fun to play on during the season as NFL week 4 odds.
Nonetheless, the addition of Nico Williams could completely change both teams and the rest of the league. Fans should be more than excited about getting this young star.
Who Is He?
Williams, 19, is the younger brother of Inaki Williams, an Athletic star who recently decided to go on and play for Ghana. Unlike Inaki, who played only one game for Spain and thus received an opportunity to switch nations, Nico is projected to become a regular member of the Spanish national team in the future.
His performances throughout the 2021/22 season have been exceptional, and the youngster improved in all the areas of play. Williams played 34 La Liga games, becoming an indispensable part of the unit. He should have an even more significant role in the next campaign, especially under the head coach Ernesto Valverde, who recently returned to San Mames.
But the problem for Bilbao and its fans is the interest in Williams coming from England, as both Liverpool and Manchester United already set their sight on the winger. Reportedly, they are willing to pay €42 million, which is a potential fee for this guy, and according to some sources, as time goes by, that sum could go much higher.
His Fit
Liverpool has a core in the offensive line, and it would be hard to see Williams getting minutes in Klopp’s system immediately unless the Reds clear space by sending some backup players away from Anfield. On the other hand, United is in the process of a rebuild, and they need young studs who would make a change and potentially stay long-term at Old Trafford.
Both Klopp and Ten Haag like Williams’ style of play, and they seek players like him for their system. Aggressive, fast, with good anticipation on both ends, Williams would fit perfectly into their tactical thoughts, especially because he has much better defensive characteristics than most of today’s wingers.
For the moment, only these two teams’ names have emerged in the media, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see more of them appearing until the end of the summer transfer window.
Athletics
Williams is another excellent product of the Athletic’s youth academy, which recently got a new chief. After the presidential elections held in the club in late June, Jon Uriarte won the presidential place and decided to make several changes. Ernesto Valverde returned home, where he became famous, and along with him, Sergio Navarro became the youth academy chief.
Navaro already announced an even higher effort in creating young talents who will be ready to play for the first team and make an immediate impact. Bilbao’s youth academy is known around the world, and some of the more recent talents they have produced are Iker Muniain and Inaki Williams.
Names like Iraola, Amorebieta, Fernando Llorente, Suaseta, de Horno, Karanka, Garitano Larrazabal, all began playing football at Lezama, where Athletic’s facilities are located.
The club from Bilbao ended the 2021/22 campaign in eighth place, and they didn’t reach the international stage. The goals for the upcoming championship are to finish in the spot which leads to Europe and, if possible, add a trophy of Copa del Rey. Last year they lost in the semifinals to Valencia and also lost the finals of the Espana Super Cup to Real Madrid.