Big competitions like the Euros have always been platforms where real talents shine the brightest. And for a Spanish team that is yet to be scored on and defeated, two talents have come through particularly well. They have wreaked havoc literally “Left and Right” amongst opposition flanks whenever given a chance to play. Of course, I’m referring to the ridiculously talented Nico Williams and his partner-in-crime, the 16-year-old wonder kid, Lamine Yamal.
While Nico Williams has just last year penned down a contract at his club, the Basque-region-based Athletic Bilbao, the kind of performances he has put in his two Euro appearances suggest that the chances he’ll be leaving for a bigger club in the ongoing summer transfer window are pretty high. The electric and pacy winger sure has raised many eyebrows and has dropped many jaws since having his Euro debut for Spain. And one club certain to be dreaming of having him play for them will be FC Barcelona.
FC Barcelona had a turbulent 23/24 season, with their manager Xavi being sacked at the end of the season. With their new manager Hansi Flick taking over the team there is a lot that will be going down at the club between now and the start of the next season. Building a competitive squad to compete with the best of the best including the new Galacticos 2.0 Real Madrid will be at the top of the list of priorities. And to do that, there are two particular positions where Barcelona seriously need an upgrade. Those two positions are the Left Winger position and the CDM position. Barcelona struggled last season after Sergio Busquets, a mainstay at the CDM position moved on to Inter Miami. The Catalonian club are looking into various players for the CDM position and the LW too.
And Nico Williams seems to be the perfect fit. Especially considering the system that Hansi Flick would preferably play. A high-pressure system with wing play through two wide wingers. Similar to his Bayern system where Sane and Gnabry filled in the positions with Lewandowski as the main striker. At Barcelona, with Lewandowski already present, they already have a perfect player on the Right Wing to fulfil the wide-playing creative abilities. Yup, you guessed it right. It’s the 16-year-old prodigy, Lamine Yamal. So all that would be left now for Flick’s ideal front three would be, a pacy left winger with enormous 1v1 abilities who would be willing to fall back for defensive support. And that is exactly what Nico Williams brings to the table.
Often in football, the term “Chemistry” is used to define the relationship and understanding of players on the pitch. In Nico Williams’ instance, he is already great friends with Lamine Yamal and according to reports they are practically inseparable as friends during their time together with La Roja.
Moreover, Nico has already been teammates with Ferran Torres, Pedri, Fermin, Gavi, etc, all of whom play for Barcelona. Furthermore, for team building for the future, 21-year-old Nico Williams would be a hard player not to go for. On the other hand, Barcelona is going through a financial crisis but is also willing to sell big-money players. Nico’s Athletic Bilbao release clause sits at 60 Million Euros, which frankly speaking, is nothing for a player of his calibre.
Lamine Yamal key to signing Nico Williams
Friendships in football can be a wonderful thing. And Nico’s friendship with Lamine Yamal continued to grow day by day. Moreover, Barcelona will be dearly hoping that it keeps on growing as the 16 year old can be crucial in the signing of Nico Williams. Just recently in an interview Yamal expressed his eagerness to play with Nico Williams at the club level. The Barcelona prodigy said, “I hope that Nico Williams can come to Barca”, (via sport). The Spain duo would certainly relish the opportunity of playing together in Catalonia. And with Barca’s need of having a world class Left Winger in their side, the possibility of Nico moving to Barca seems to get closer to reality day by day.
If Barcelona can afford Nico Williams and manage to sign him, the Left Wing position at the Camp Nou will be locked for at least the next 10-12 years. Going a step ahead, the world might not be ready for a Barcelona duo of Nico-Lamine dribbling towards them with menace in their eyes.
