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David Ornstein shares what is now likely to happen with Arsenal’s top transfer target

Charles Jones

Sat 11 January 2025 8:55, UK

Arsenal may want to be busy in this January transfer window.

Indeed, Arsenal need to improve in the second-half of this season if they want to catch Liverpool, and, in order to do that,ꦗ they need some fresh blood in the squad.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
2	ArsenalArsenal	20	11	7	2	39	18	21	40

It appears that Arsena🦂l are looking for a new winger.

Rafael Leao has been linked to Arsenal, Alex Baena is on Arsenal’s radar, while Nico Williams is Arsenal’s top target.

Mikel Arteta is a huge fan of Williams, but, unfortunately, this transfer doesn’t app𓆉ear to be all that likely.

Indeed, according to David Ornstein, speaking on The Athletic FC Podcas🔜t, there’s a good chance Williams stays at Athletic Club this month due to the huge financial outlay it would take for any team to sign him.

• READ MORE: Ruben Amorim says Mikel Arteta has a ‘really special’ play💫er who makes Arsenal so much ‘stronger’

What is likely to happen with Nico Williams

Ornstein shared 🅷what he knows about the Spanish winger.

The journalist says that Arsenal would indeed love to sign Williams, but there is only a remote chance of the attacker moving in this particular win♓dow.

“Mikel Arteta loves Nico Williams. It’s a long-term admiration. He would love to have signed him in the past and꧂ he would really like to sign him in this January transfer window,” Ornstein said.

“However, we would all like things ♊in life we can’t have and there is a good chance that he can’t have Nico Williams because of the finances𝔍 involved.

“He has a release clause that is active that is just shy of €60m, but it has to be paid in one go which is horrendous for an🙈y club who want꧋s him, he also earns a very good salary in Bilbao which would need to rise if he’s going to move to the Premier League.

“He also is not agitating for a transfer which is why many ওtransfers do come about because players push. He’s not pushing, he seems extremely settled and that makes it a remote possibility, but it doesn’t mean there’s no interest in him.”

Nico Williams stats this season

Arsenal would have to payout a huge fee a﷽nd massive wages if they want to sign Williams in this transfer window, and the reality is that it may not be worth it.

Indeed, Wil♊liams hasn’t been at his best 🅺this season, and the stats show it.

Simply put, Williams has been♚ ineffective this t🍸erm, and while Williams was brilliant at Euro 2024, that form hasn’t carried over into La Liga.

Oꦰf course, there’s no saying that it would be the♛ same if Williams signed for Arsenal. After all, Mikel Arteta clearly has a plan for the winger, but signing a player who has scored just one league goal this season as your big January gamechanger isn’t the best idea.

If Arsenal are to spend a significant amount of money on a new attacking player this month, perhapsܫ they should look elsewhere as Williams’ form this season really isn’t befitting of a player who would command such a huge tr𓆉ansfer fee.