Journalist Charles Watts says Arsenal are fans of a £50 million forward, but his signing could "unsettle the squad" for one key reason.
Arsenal targeting new attackers for Arteta this summer
Sporting director Edu Gaspar and manager Mikel Arteta wish to bolster the club's ranks with new forwards ahead of next season, as they look to challenge Man City for a Premier League title yet again.
Prolific £15m striker asks to leave club after Arsenal join race for him
The forward racked up 30 goals in all competitions last season.
1 ByEmilio GalantiniJun 25, 2024
Arsenal are widely expected to bring in a new striker, and made a pretty public attempt to bring in Benjamin Sesko from RB Leipzig after the Slovenia international racked up 18 goals in all competitions last campaign.
Sesko had an offer to join Arsenal this summer, but the 21-year-old instead chose to remain at Leipzig for another season at least. Since then, Arsenal have been heavily linked with Sporting Lisbon star Viktor Gyokeres, among others.
Bukayo Saka
20
Leandro Trossard
17
Kai Havertz
14
Martin Odegaard
11
Gabriel Jesus
8
As well as a centre-forward, there are reports that Arsenal could target another wide player, as Arteta seemingly looks to bring in strength in depth behind the likes of Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard – who both starred for them last season.
Athletic Bilbao starlet Nico Williams is a player widely reported to be on their radar in this regard. The Spaniard, who's dazzled at Euro 2024, also racked up an incredible 19 assists in all competitions at club level last season.
Nico Williams signing would upset Arsenal squad
Watts, speaking to CaughtOffside this week, claims Arsenal signing Williams would upset Arteta's squad – and it could be a risky move despite their admiration for the player.
“Arsenal are admirers of the 21-year-old, but so are plenty of other of the top clubs across Europe and that interest is only going to increase as the tournament goes on,” Watts said.
“On paper, the release clause of around £50million for Williams looks a very appealing one, but as far as I’m aware it’s not as simple as that. You have to remember that release clauses in Spain have to be paid in full and that makes deals very expensive as clubs can’t spread the transfer fee out over the length of the contract like they usually do.
“But in Williams’ case, the wages are also understood to be a pretty significant issue. Athletic Club are big payers. They have to be to ensure they keep their team together given the unique way the club operates.
“So Williams is on good money and the word is that interested clubs have been surprised by the wages he would want to move this summer. Arsenal are good payers, but they have a wage bill that they have worked hard to get in check in recent years. So they won’t do anything stupid and undo that hard work.
“Williams is a talent, but he is still young and relatively inexperienced. For Arsenal to immediately make him one of the highest earners would be a risk, because it could unsettle the squad a bit, especially if he were to come in and suddenly be earning more than some of the experienced players who have been at the club for a while.”