In yet another international tournament, Nico Williams is making his mark now. The 22-year-old Spaniard had a brilliant quarterfinal match against the Netherlands in the UEFA Nations League quarterfinal on Thursday, March 20.
Williams played on the left flank while Spain’s regular right-winger Lamine Yamal was absent in the match.
The Athletic Club player scored Spain’s opening goal and then set up their second as the Spaniards managed to equalise and earn a valuable draw at Rotterdam.
Nico Williams Continues to Impress for the Spanish National Team
Williams had a wonderful tournament at Euro 2024. Both he and Yamal were in tremendous form and played a vital role in Spain’s triumph in the tournament.
Williams is fast, has a good shot on him and likes to unleash it by cutting in from the left. He did that quite frequently in Thursday’s match against the Netherlands, too.
The goal that he set up for Mikel Merino happened that way, as Williams cut in from the left flank and took a shot before Merino scored from the rebound.
Williams now has five goals in 25 international appearances for Spain. He is also into his fifth season for Athletic Bilbao, having scored 29 goals in 159 matches for the Spanish club.
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Why Top Clubs Can’t Afford to Miss Out on Nico Williams Next Season
Williams’ contract with Athletic Bilbao runs until 2027. It seems unlikely at the moment that he will stay at the club until that time. He might be signed by a top club before then.
Barcelona were interested in getting the services of the winger last summer itself, but the deal did not materialize.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta is still reportedly interested in signing the young Spaniard.
Gabriel Martinelli has not been in good form this season. Hence, Arteta might be tempted to sign Williams as an option to replace the Brazilian in the long run.
With Bukayo Saka playing on the right flank, if Williams plays on the left, it will be a fantastic pair of wingers that the club will have.
Barcelona, meanwhile, have both Raphinha and Yamal in their team and more importantly, both of them are in superb form at the moment.
Therefore, it might not be judicious for them to go for another winger, as Ferran Torres is also in their squad already.
Therefore, it remains to be seen whether they decide to go for Williams in an intense manner.
However, Bilbao are in a good position to secure a top-four finish in La Liga this season. As a result, they should be able to secure UEFA Champions League football this season.
That might prompt Williams to stay at the club for a couple of more seasons.
Whatever his course of action might be, Williams should be on the radar of big clubs.
The Spaniard will start approaching his prime now and might make an ambitious move pretty soon.
Even making a move abroad cannot be ruled out for the left-winger. Playing in England might prove to be a challenge, but the young man should be up for it.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / Orange Pictures
Recording Date: 20.03.2025