Arsenal need a striker this summer but with Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko in Andrea Berta’s crosshairs, he’s also directing attention towards signing a new winger.
Real Madrid’s Rodrygo has been a name regularly linked with an Emirates Stadium switch this summer but whether that move happens remains to be seen.
One deal that is certainly unlikely to happen this summer is Nico Williams, with the Spaniard now reportedly closing in on his dream Barcelona move.
Why Arsenal will need a Nico Williams alternative
After a sublime campaign at Euro 2024 last summer, Williams has been the talk of the town with his club, Athletic Bilbao, even heralding him as “one of the best wingers in the world”.
That is certainly the case and it explains why Arsenal have found negotiating a deal difficult.
Last winter, it was reported that Arteta was dreaming of signing the Spain international but at no point has a deal ever looked close.
Indeed, despite fresh interest this summer, it looks though the attacker is heading to Barcelona.
The latest was provided by the Athletic’s David Ornstein on Tuesday morning who claims that both the Gunners and Chelsea have ‘cooled’ their interest in the 22-year-old as ‘Barcelona step up pursuit & Bayern Munich consider move.’
Barca want to do a deal and have already made a contract offer to the young winger.
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So, with that move off the table, where will Arsenal’s attention turn next? Perhaps Anthony Gordon?
According to a report from the Athletic, Arteta and Co have had three names in particular on their shortlist to improve their ranks in the wide positions.
Williams was one of them, Rodrygo is the other and the final name is Newcastle United’s Gordon.
Arsenal are known to be long-term fans of the England international, with this report noting that he is ‘of interest’ to the north Londoners and that they are keen ‘admirers’ of his qualities.
Why Gordon could be even better than Nico Williams
You don’t attract the interest of Barca without being a mighty fine player and in Williams, you have Spain’s next hope alongside Lamine Yamal on the opposite flank.
Williams certainly isn’t as exciting as Yamal but he’s still one of the most promising young forwards on the European scene.
However, his numbers haven’t actually been too impressive in recent seasons. During 2023/24, the Bilbao star scored just eight times in all competitions. Impressively, he did register as many as 18 assists.
This season, he scored 11 goals while registering seven assists in 45 games with only five of those goals coming in LaLiga action.
In comparison, Gordon’s numbers aren’t otherworldly but they are on par and he’s already been producing it in the Premier League.
The 24-year-old scored nine times and posted seven assists in 42 outings during 2024/25, which wasn’t quite as impressive as his return the campaign prior. In what was the best season of his career, the former Everton man scored 12 and assisted 16 goals.
So, over the last two years, there isn’t a huge amount to separate them, but what do the other numbers say?
Goals
0.29
0.21
Assists
0.21
0.34
Shots
2.31
2.33
Key passes
1.82
1.84
Progressive passes
3.36
2.85
Successful take-ons
1.55
3.26
Progressive carries
4.38
5.52
Well, again there isn’t much to separate them. Williams is more carry-heavy, but if Arsenal are looking for goals, and they are, the “unbelievable” Gordon – in the words of teammate Bruno Guimaraes – is the better option.
A carry is considered progressive if the ball is moved towards the opponent’s goal at least 10 yards from its starting point or is carried into the penalty area.
Over the last few seasons, Arsenal have simply been too reliant on Bukayo Saka on the right flank to come up with the goods. In 2023/24, he was the club’s top scorer with 20 goals and this season, he was right up there again despite missing half of the campaign with a hamstring injury.
He ended the campaign on 12 goals, just three behind leading marksman Kai Havertz. As for Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard, they suffered from long periods of inconsistency throughout the campaign.
The latter scored ten in 56, once every 5.6 games, while the former scored ten in 51, once every 5.1 outings. As for Gordon, he scored once every four matches two seasons ago and once every 4.6 appearances in 2024/25.
So, with Arteta clearly on the lookout for goals, Gordon could just be the man they need this summer. It’s just a pity he boasts an asking price of around £100m. That certainly makes it less likely to happen.
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