Arsenal ready to pay £42m to sign “devastating” ace

Despite earning an impressive 1-0 win against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday afternoon that just about keeps their Premier League title ambitions alive, it would be fair to say that this season has not gone to plan for Arsenal.

Mikel Arteta’s side have not been as devastatingly effective as they were in the latter half of last season, and the fact that Bukayo Saka, who has been out of action for over a month now, has more goal involvements than anyone else in the team is a testament to that.

It’s no wonder, then, that fans have been crying out for the club to add a new attacker to the squad this month, be that a clinical number nine or a dangerous wide player.

Fortunately, recent reports have linked the club to the latter, and the player in question would be a dream teammate for Saka.

Arsenal chasing sensational winger

According to a recent report from Spain, Arsenal have maintained their intense interest in Athletic Bilbao star Nico Williams.

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The report has revealed that while Barcelona are desperate to sign the Spaniard, and Bilbao want to keep him this season, his future looks to be away from Spain altogether, as the club’s recruitment team are now ‘willing to pay his release clause.’

According to the story, that release clause stands at €50m, which converts to around £42m.

It’s certainly a lot of money to spend on a young winger, but given Williams’ ability and potential, it would likely be worth it, especially as he’d be a dream teammate for Saka.

Why Williams would be a dream for Saka

Okay, so there are several reasons why Williams would be an ideal teammate for Saka, and the first is a relatively simple one: his output.

Now, it is true that this campaign has been somewhat less impressive than the last, as after 29 appearances, the Bilbao star has amassed just three goals and five assists, but we know from last season that the 22-year-old can be an output machine.

For example, in just 37 appearances, the “devastating” winger, as described by Emmanuel Petit, scored eight goals and provided 19 assists, which comes out to a sensational average of a goal involvement every 1.37 games.

Just imagine how many more goals the Gunners’ number seven would score or assist with another incredibly dangerous winger on the opposite flank such as the young Spaniard.

This links to the second reason the Bilbao star would be a brilliant partner for the Englishman, which is his directness.

For example, according to FBref, which compares players in similar positions across Europe’s top five leagues, the Champions League and Europa League, the Pamplona-born star sits in the top 4% of attacking midfielders and wingers for successful take-ons and the top 6% for progressive carries per 90.

This would hopefully help the North Londoners be far more effective and direct down the left-hand side, which in turn should free up more space for the Hale End icon on the right, as opposition defenders would have to focus their attention on both flanks.

Finally, with an assist in Bilbao’s Copa del Rey final last season and then a winner in the Euros final against England, it’s clear that the 24-capped international is a big game player with an elite mentality, which would not only help Saka, but the entire team.

Ultimately, Arsenal are in need of attacking reinforcements, and while he is still young, Williams has already shown that he has what it takes to be an elite winger, so KSE and Co should be doing all they can to bring him to N5 this month.

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