Barcelona will need to spend 60 million Euros to welcome Nico Williams to Camp Nou from Athletic Bilbao. In the context of a not-so-reserving financial situation, this is a large investment for the Blaugrana.
First, Barca will have a talent who is at the peak of his career, having proven his ability in big competitions such as EURO 2024. In particular, with Lamine Yamal, Barca hopes to recreate the Spanish wingers, who helped La Roja win the German championship last summer.
Williams' position is as a left winger, where Raphinha is in charge and has played very well in the last season. Although Raphinha is not as young as Williams, he has had fewer breakthrough situations than his junior. However, when Williams first arrived, he was not capable enough to push Raphinha up to the bench.
In terms of passing ability, last season, Nico Williams ranked 3rd in the top 5 European championships, after Lamine Yamal and the leader Jeremy Doku (Man City). However, in terms of goal output, last season was a very poor performance for Williams, when he only scored 6 goals. When Barca brought the Bilbao striker to Camp Nou, they were forced to use him but how will they use him so as not to conflict with Raphinha?
In fact, both Raphinha and Williams could play in the same system due to the trend of encroaching on Raphinha's central area. In particular, the Brazilian star has a wide range of activities, playing in many positions, not necessarily being a left winger like last season.
According to data from SkillCorner, no player between the lines in La Liga last season received more than Raphinha (353 times). This number proves that the 28-year-old striker tends to work like a creative center forward rather than a pure winger. In fact, Raphinha started his first three La Liga games last season as a 'number 10'.
As for Williams, when he was not put on the field from the start, only occasionally appearing from the bench, the presence of this striker will bring Barcelona the necessary depth and diversity in attack. Last season, the trio of Raphinha - Lewandowski - Yamal contributed greatly to Barca's 102 goals in La Liga. However, they can only maintain that form if they are in good shape.
With Lewy injured and his contribution interrupted last season, the Barca coaching staff considered the case of the Polish star gradually reducing the frequency of starting matches in the next season. If the 36-year-old striker gradually shows signs of age, Ferran Torres can temporarily replace him, but the Spanish striker is not the type to ensure good firepower.
The resilience of Raphinha and Yamal has greatly reduced Lewy's responsibility as the veteran has been sidelined. In the Barca squad, only Pedri played more minutes than Raphinha and Yamal. Therefore, when Lewy is absent, Raphinha can move to the center, Williams and Yamal will form a winger pair. On the left wing of Barca, it is clear that Ansu Fati and Pau Victor are not capable of meeting.
If Williams appears, Barca's left wing will be very strong as below this striker will be a true speed machine - Alejandro Balde. Balde is very strong in acceleration, sometimes quite aggressive but does not have the skills to pass. This shortcoming will be exploited by Williams to create a offset left wing for the Blaugrana.
