THE ATHLETIC CLUB CONTRACT FOR NICO WILLIAMS AS FORWARD WINDS DOWN
The gleaming jewel of Spanish football, Nico Williams, has once more come to the attention of Liverpool. The Athletic Club-born sensation, who is 21 years old, has made 43 appearances in the 2022–23 season and racked up an outstanding record of nine goals and six assists.
PREMIER LEAGUE CLUBS WATCHING WILLIAMS INCLUDE REDS
Last month, rumours from reliable insiders suggested that the Merseyside club had inquired about the Spaniard. Williams is undoubtedly catching the attention of premier league clubs due to his £43 million release clause in his contract with Athletic Club. Along with Liverpool, the forward has drawn interest from Aston Villa, Arsenal, Tottenham, and even Barcelona under Unai Emery. According to a report by 90min, Liverpool is one of four Premier League clubs closely monitoring Williams’ next decision, particularly if he decides against signing a contract extension.
HEAVYWEIGHTS IN THE MIX FROM EUROPE
Not only Premier League teams are on high alert. Giants in Europe like Bayern Munich and Juventus are closely observing the developments around the Spanish forward. If no new deal is struck with Athletic before his contract expires next summer, Williams will be free to sign a pre-contract with any non-Spanish team as of January.
Position of the athletic club about Williams’ future
Athletic Club’s president, Jon Uriarte, has addressed the growing rumours surrounding their top player. Williams’ future at the club was the subject of his assurance and composure, and he made hints about a lucrative project in store for the young forward. Uriarte looked upbeat about keeping Williams, highlighting the close relationship between his family and Athletic Club. It’s important to note that Athletic Club has a distinctive heritage of only choosing players with Basque ancestry.
AFTER SALAH, IS WILLIAMS THE SOLUTION FOR LIVERPOOL?
Liverpool supporters are unsure of Mohamed Salah’s replacement since there has been increased talk of a potential transfer to the Saudi Pro League. Despite the fact that Nico Williams and Salah play in very different ways, some experts think Williams would be a good fit. Danny Corcoran of Anfield Watch highlighted Williams’ advantages, particularly his great skill in one-on-one matches and his ability to move the ball forward with his dribbling. This argument is supported by the forward’s statistics, specifically his placement in the 95th percentile for advanced carries per 90 and the 92nd percentile for successful take-ons.
Overview of Nico Williams’ performance over the previous 365 days
In comparison to other attacking midfielders and wingers over the course of the past year, the radar map gives a thorough overview of Nico Williams’ performance data. Attacking, Possession, and Defending are the three basic categories into which the stats are divided.
Attacking:
Williams performs about averagely in this category, with a 50th percentile rank in total shots.
His non-penalty goals and assists both rank below the 50th percentile, indicating space for growth.
He generated shots at a 54th percentile rate, which indicates slightly above average performance.
Possession:
With a phenomenal 97th percentile ranking in progressive carries, Nico exhibits extraordinary competence.
His touches (excluding penalties) have a 94th percentile rank, which is significant.
His considerable contributions to sustaining and advancing ball possession are further shown by other possession metrics including passes attempted (79th percentile), pass completion percentage (91st percentile), and progressive passes received (38th percentile).
Defending:
Nico’s success in blocks, where he scores an excellent 87th percentile rank, stands out as a noteworthy metric in this category.
He appears to fall short of his teammates in the categories of tackles (14th percentile) and interceptions (12th percentile).
He does, however, do admirably in clearances, scoring in the 48th percentile.
In conclusion, despite the fact that Nico Williams excels in measures relating to possession and has particular defensive capabilities, there are still some facets of his attacking game that require improvement. His overall performance gives the impression of a player with a wide range of skills who has the capacity to make a big impact on the pitch.
Percentile rankings highlight the player’s position in comparison to other wingers and attacking midfielders. Superior performance in that particular statistic is indicated by a higher percentile.