Arsenal have a new sporting director. After Edu departed towards the back end of 2024, it’s taken the Gunners several months to find a replacement.
Former Atletico Madrid director Andrea Berta is the new man on board and he’s got a massive summer to sink his teeth into.
Supporters will hope and pray that they are able to right the wrongs of the winter market where they didn’t sign anyone. Since then, they’ve fallen out of the Premier League title race and barely scored a goal on the domestic scene.
So, it’s over to your Berta. Fancy a striker? A winger? An additional central midfielder?
Roberto Berta’s first transfer plans at Arsenal
If Arsenal could cherry pick anyone to sign this summer then it would be Newcastle’s Alexander Isak.
However, with a £150m valuation, it’s highly unlikely he’ll be on his way to the Emirates Stadium.
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So, who are the alternatives? Well, reports earlier this week suggested that Berta is a keen admirer of Wolves’ Matheus Cunha. Rumours linking Benjamin Sesko with a switch to London fail to go away either.
In this case, a possible swoop for Bilbao winger Nico Williams is gathering momentum again.
Arsenal were first linked with a move after Euro 2024. Mikel Arteta would love to sign him, say some reports.
Well, ahead of the summer window, German reporter Christian Falk notes that the Gunners are in talks with the player’s agents but they will face competition from Bayern Munich to sign the Spaniard.
Williams possesses a release clause of between €60m-€80m (£50m-£68m) so this will be a costly deal to get over the line.
Why Williams could be Arsenal’s best winger since Bukayo Saka
Over the last few years, Bukayo Saka’s output has been totally ridiculous, with journalist Charles Watts hailing him as the ‘best right winger in the world’.
He may well have surrendered that title to Mo Salah this season but even before his hamstring injury, Saka was proving himself to be one of the most elite forwards in the game.
Last season the Englishman scored 20 goals and supplied 14 assists while this term, he was well on his way to replicating those numbers having found the net on nine occasions and supplied 13 assists.
While he’s carried the team from an attacking standpoint, he’s not received too much help from those on the other side of the pitch.
Leandro Trossard did score 17 times in 2023/24 but this campaign, he and Gabriel Martinelli have struggled big time. Between them, they have only scored 13 times.
Thus, the potential arrival of Williams could be game-changing for Arsenal’s offensive line. While the Spaniard has only netted four times in 23 LaLiga matches, he does have nine in all competitions and aged 22, has so much potential left to extract.
Goals
0.21
0.36
0.21
Assists
0.27
0.17
0.25
Key passes
1.97
1.51
1.69
Progressive passes
3.14
1.69
3.88
Progressive carries
5.64
5.00
3.03
Shot-creating actions
5.27
2.47
3.48
Successful take-ons
2.98
1.51
1.34
That’s certainly the viewpoint of data analyst Ben Mattinson who suggests; “He might be raw, but Nico Williams has all the tools to be an elite winger.”
Why’s that? Well, we’ll cherry-pick another quote from Mattinson about Williams’ play style.
His numbers are yet to really explode but this is a winger with the potential to be not only an elite goalscorer but an elite creator.
Let’s compare him to wingers in Europe’s top five leagues a moment. To rubber-stamp his exciting potential, the Bilbao star ranks among the top 4% of wingers for progressive carries and the best 3% for successful take-ons. That could be game-changing for an Arsenal side lacking pace and directness in transition this season.
For too long Saka has carried the burden of Arsenal’s forward line but Williams has the capabilities to lift that burden and take Arteta’s team to a new level.
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