20 Jun 2024 21:34:52
Nico Williams, what a player. They shouldn't care what he costs, just buy him.

Question for ed002:

a) Does he have a buyout clause?

b) Which clubs are trying to sign him?

{Ed002's Note - Nico Williams (LW/RW) Young Basque winger and brother to Inaki who has eased himself in to the first team over the last two seasons. Terse response from the Spanish U21 set up (along the lines of "he does not score many goals for an attacker") when told he was changing his allegiance to Ghana, like his brother - and that led to him changing back to Spain. There was plenty of interest in him so a contract extension and buy out clause were awarded to the player at the start of 2022 and again in December 2023, pricing him out of a move to Barcelona at €50M plus a significant signing on fee, plus wages of €350k per week - but they remain interested although they need to sell before buying so must prioritise. The player has made it clear he wants to move to Barcelona. Seen as far more affordable than Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. The Aston Villa coach wishes to be reunited and they will push for a deal in the summer but he may opt to stay for a year or two more after signing a new contract. Looked at by numerous Premier League clubs including Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal as well as Barcelona and Real Madrid. Chelsea are put off by the attitude, wages being asked for and he is not first choice. Arsenal may bite and make an offer and Newcastle offer a wildcard option.}

1.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 12:18:08
He's an excellent playe and would fit us perfectly. Problem will be his salary. So we can rule that out immediately.

2.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 13:07:52
Doesn't matter what he costs, spoken just like an owner of Nottingham Forest/ Everton. Cost Control/ Structure I have no problem with as long as you are pushing as much as possible to put a squad together capable of winning the league. That should always be the goal and pushing all the boundaries to the maximum to make it happen but still respecting the boundaries to avoid more dangerous consequences. I think our owners seem to have done a decent job of this to date. I think there was a time the sat back a touch too much when the team was going strong but overall I think they push what they could to win. I will continue to review them on a yearly basis though because just like players, consistency is key.

On Williams, I ve liked the look of him a lot. Way more than Rafael Leao who is similar. Risk would be goal output. It's not big right now but he is only 21. I love scorers in the front three though. His crossing and decision making looks really good though. If the wage demands are truly what is touted, I would be surprised to see us pull the trigger. But were Salah to leave, I wouldn't completely rule it out.

3.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 14:01:34
Questionable attitude and high wage demands seem like a red flag, Ed, even though one on one he’s probably the most terrifying winger in Europe on form this season.

4.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 15:24:25
Davey Sulls, I didn't mean that we should buy regardless, but rather those clubs that are after him. A £350k salary sounds completely insane, while £50 million seems like a relatively good investment. I personally would be thrilled to sell Díaz to Barcelona and bring in Williams. Like you, I think he is very reminiscent of Rafael Leão but a bit more direct and doesn't look as nonchalant on the pitch. Definitely one of Europe's most dangerous wingers in the coming years.

5.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 16:55:44
Like him a lot but red flags with his attitude and wages, must be bad if Chelsea Have stepped away.

6.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 16:11:19
Appreciate the detailed note, Ed!

7.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 19:09:03
It's worth noting that the problems with his attitude were when he was younger, there's been a marked improvement in the last two seasons.

Maybe his previous 'maverick' persona was because he grew up idolising balotelli.

8.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 20:10:42
Didn’t we sell him to Forest a few years back? ?.

9.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 21:09:41
Also the fact that he and his family are very grateful to Bilbao, the city and the club, for the support that they have given to him and his family since being there. Also, Bilboa is a lovely city! Always the human factor.

10.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 22:43:07
I like the look of Williams very much, but his joining would lead to destroying the existing wage structure at the club. If you give a 21 year old the 300-350k per week that he is asking for, then what do you give Salah, VVD and TAA (whose contracts need renewing if we are to keep them)? And then next in line you'd have Alisson and Mac Allister, and others, with "what about me? "

I can relate to the "let's get that player at any cost, he's so good" sentiment. But that's gross negligent financial management. It's simply all around bad news. Look at Barcelona. Having to sell future projected earnings to pay people today.

{Ed001's Note - that is the problem with dealing with Bilbao. They can't really spend money on transfers, there are very few Basque players they don't produce, so they pay big wages to keep their better players. Any player signed from them is already on big money and expects a pay rise to move.}

11.) 21 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 23:13:25
Williams looks pretty good in this tournament.
I don’t rate Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at all. Looks like a very predictable player, easy to defend against.

12.) 22 Jun 2024
21 Jun 2024 23:47:20
If we could get Nico Williams, do you think we could also nick naki too? See what I did there…. I’ll get my coat!

13.) 22 Jun 2024
22 Jun 2024 07:43:51
I would be interested in your opinion on this topic eds1 If there is a young player out there that’s an upgrade on what we have and he is available but it would mean paying him more than our highest earners then should we be going for him? Every one literally what’s the best of the best that’s doesn’t need thinking about. It’s the message it sends out to the team that mite back fire.
I know it’s been mentioned before that NW mite has attitude problems but we heard this about mane and he turned out to be unbelievable for us.

{Ed001's Note - it is difficult to say because it really depends on the individual player and their current contract situation. If they are a free agent, then you will be paying them more due to the signing fee. If they are Bellingham, then you pay them whatever it takes. If they are just a slight upgrade, then they need to fit into the set up the club has for salaries.

Mane did have a lot of problems which were well managed by Klopp, we don't have him any more, so we can't judge players that way. Even then, Klopp's magic couldn't work for Keita, who also had similar attitude problems, so it doesn't always work even with Klopp in charge. It really makes no sense to judge others by Mane. Each person is an individual, Williams is not Mane and doesn't come with the same motivations or problems.}

14.) 22 Jun 2024
22 Jun 2024 08:27:00
Thanks for the reply mate. Yeah that make sense ??.

15.) 23 Jun 2024
23 Jun 2024 00:18:46
Nevada, are you saying he has calmed down? Is he a serener Williams?