Arsenal may want to be busy in this January transfer window.
Indeed, Arsenal need to improve in the second-half of this season if they want to catch Liverpool, and, in order to do that, they need some fresh blood in the squad.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 2 | Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.  ArsenalArsenal | 20 | 11 | 7 | 2 | 39 | 18 | 21 | 40 |
It appears that Arsenal are looking for a new winger.
Rafael Leao has been linked to Arsenal, Alex Baena is on Arsenal’s radar, while Nico Williams is Arsenal’s top target.
Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of Williams, but, unfortunately, this transfer doesn’t appear to be all that likely.
Indeed, according to David Ornstein, speaking on The Athletic FC Podcast, there’s a good chance Williams stays at Athletic Club this month due to the huge financial outlay it would take for any team to sign him.
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Clik here to view.
What is likely to happen with Nico Williams
Ornstein shared what he knows about the Spanish winger.
The journalist says that Arsenal would indeed love to sign Williams, but there is only a remote chance of the attacker moving in this particular window.
“Mikel Arteta loves Nico Williams. It’s a long-term admiration. He would love to have signed him in the past and he would really like to sign him in this January transfer window,” Ornstein said.
“However, we would all like things in life we can’t have and there is a good chance that he can’t have Nico Williams because of the finances involved.
“He has a release clause that is active that is just shy of €60m, but it has to be paid in one go which is horrendous for any club who wants him, he also earns a very good salary in Bilbao which would need to rise if he’s going to move to the Premier League.
“He also is not agitating for a transfer which is why many transfers do come about because players push. He’s not pushing, he seems extremely settled and that makes it a remote possibility, but it doesn’t mean there’s no interest in him.”
Nico Williams stats this season
Arsenal would have to payout a huge fee and massive wages if they want to sign Williams in this transfer window, and the reality is that it may not be worth it.
Indeed, Williams hasn’t been at his best this season, and the stats show it.
| Nico Williams this season | |
| Games | 17 |
| Goals | 1 |
| Assists | 3 |
Simply put, Williams has been ineffective this term, and while Williams was brilliant at Euro 2024, that form hasn’t carried over into La Liga.
Of course, there’s no saying that it would be the same if Williams signed for Arsenal. After all, Mikel Arteta clearly has a plan for the winger, but signing a player who has scored just one league goal this season as your big January gamechanger isn’t the best idea.
If Arsenal are to spend a significant amount of money on a new attacking player this month, perhaps they should look elsewhere as Williams’ form this season really isn’t befitting of a player who would command such a huge transfer fee.