As Aston Villa prepare for the 2024/25 campaign, Unai Emery knows that his job has barely started.
Sure, Villa Park deserves to revel in the knowledge that it has risen to heights uncharted for many, many years in the Midlands, enjoying a season competing in the Conference League and now returning to Europe's elite club competition after so many interminable years away, finishing fourth in the Premier League.
But the efforts of the past few years must now be used as a launchpad for reaching illustrious levels. Villa has risen from the rubble and it has risen through Emery's design, the Spaniard transforming a struggling outfit, gleaning its latent quality and moulding it into something tangible, something uniform and positive.
While PSR has dominated the early stage of Villa's transfer window, Monchi and Co deserve a lot of credit for sealing some shrewd early deals to strengthen, albeit sacrificing Douglas Luiz and a couple of homegrown talents to stay on the right side of the financial scales.
But now, the Villans are set to bolster with a big deal or two, with sights set on succeeding both in the Premier League and Champions League.
Aston Villa chasing Euro 2024 star
According to Football Insider, Aston Villa are tussling with top-flight rivals Tottenham Hotspur for the signing of Nico Williams, who has been in first-class form with Spain at Euro 2024.
Villa are long-term admirers and failed with an approach for the Athletic Bilbao winger back in January 2023, having been rejected despite meeting his release clause.
Now, though, things are different. The 21-year-old's stock has risen considerably and he has a host of top European suitors – including Barcelona – on his trail. With a £49m release clause in his contract, this could be an opportune time to strike – and Emery's outfit have already put in plenty of groundwork.
Nico Williams' style of play
Pace, and barrels of it. Williams is principally a left-sided winger who "terrorised defences" with his physicality and sharp athletic skills, as has been noted by analyst Ben Mattinson.
Matches played
3
Matches started
3
Goals
1
Assists
1
Pass completion
93%
Shots per game
2.3
Key passes per game
3.0
Ball recoveries per game
3.0
Dribbles per game
3.0
Duels won per game
4.0
He's risen to continental prominence for his performances for Spain at the European Championships, with the table above underscoring quite how remarkable his level has been over these past several weeks, but Williams has earned his place after a season of impressive skills in Basque Country.
Indeed, Bilbao ended a 40-year wait for silverware last season as they defeated Mallorca on penalties in the Copa del Rey final, with Williams particularly destructive throughout that cup campaign, posting three goals and five assists across six fixtures.
That, however, is just a glimpse into Williams' overall seasonal tally, having actually scored eight goals across all competitions and, more importantly, racked up an incredible 19 assists to mark him as one of Europe's very best wide playmakers.
His performances have led FBref to list Newcastle United's Anthony Gordon as one of the 21-year-old's most comparable players.
The Magpies' Player of the Season has been highly sought-after in recent weeks, as has Williams, and while the England international has some exciting qualities, Williams might just trump him in the years to come.
Why Villa are interested in Nico Williams
Athletic Bilbao's unique transfer policy that precludes signings from beyond Basque Country has led to heightened salaries for many of the club's top talents.
Williams, perhaps the cream of the crop, is behind only his brother, Inaki, in the salary charts, taking home a pretty penny at £169k per week. Such earnings, admittedly, already see the Spaniard pocket more than Villa's highest earners, and thus an exception to the structure would need to be made.
But Villa have been concerted in their efforts to sign the fleet-footed star, shown tenacity in their long-term pursuit. Now, there's a real sense that Monchi will pounce on the opportunity to sign the player, with his talents simply irresistible.
As per FBref, Williams ranks among the top 2% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe's top five leagues over the past year for assists, the top 20% for shot-creating actions, the top 7% for progressive carries and the top 6% for successful take-ons per 90.
It's no wonder that he's been labelled a "pace demon" by Arsenal podcaster Adam Keys, dribbling at a notably frequent rate and bringing the different facets of the wide game together to suggest that he has the trappings of a world-calibre sensation.
Matches played
31
35
Matches started
29
34
Goals
5
11
Assists
11
10
Pass completion
79%
82%
Big chances created
10
16
Key passes per game
1.5
1.6
Ball recoveries per game
4.2
3.6
Dribbles per game
2.8 (48%)
1.5 (49%)
Duels won per game
5.2 (46%)
5.3 (49%)
While the stats show that Gordon has been more creative over the past year, in his division, Wiliams is more progressive and actually racked up more assists, speaking of his incisive nature. Moreover, let's not forget that the £169k-per-week talent maintained his assist tally over various competitions, nearly hitting the 20 mark.
It's also worth noting that Gordon is two years Williams' senior and that the Bilbao wideman will be expected to go from strength to strength over the next few years. If his international escapades are anything to go by, there's no question that Williams will be performing at an obscene level in the near future.
Both left wingers are coveted on the market right now and it's clear to see why, but if Villa were to secure Williams' services, they might just land a prodigious talent destined for stardom.
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