Arsenal ready to launch move for £43m star who's "good enough to displace Saka" - opinion

stating that Edu and Co are ready to trigger that in the forthcoming weeks.

How Nico Williams compares to Bukayo Saka

Throughout William's career to date, he has primarily popped up on the right-hand side of the attack.

The youngster has featured on that flank 73 times in his career, scoring 17 goals and supplying 18 assists.

As a result, he would seem well-placed to rival Saka for a place in Arteta's starting lineup. The Spaniard also loves a versatile face and in Williams, he'd certainly be getting that.

Throughout 2023/24, the Spain international actually featured largely as a left winger. It was a spell-binding campaign with the Arsenal target scoring eight goals and supplying a whopping 17 assists in all competitions.

So, on that evidence, the Bilbao sensation is more about creating for his teammates than finding the net himself. That's certainly not a bad trait to have.

So, what else does the £43m man possess in his armoury? Well, according to analyst Ben Mattinson he "would be the quickest player at the club if he joined", citing that "speed is his best asset along with his two-footed ability."

Arsenal are undoubtedly in need of adding more pace to their attack. When Martinelli is off-colour or isn't playing then the Gunners can struggle to counter as efficiently as others.

Williams would certainly help in this regard. So, what do the numbers say?

Williams vs Saka: 23/24 League Stats

Stat (per 90 mins)

Williams (LaLiga)

Saka (PL)

Goals

0.20

0.49

Assists

0.44

0.28

Progressive carries

5.66

4.78

Progressive passes

2.63

3.89

Key passes

1.87

2.81

Crosses

0.88

0.37

Shot-creating actions

4.82

5.80

Goal-creating actions

0.96

0.65

Successful take-ons

3.43

1.51

Carries into final 3rd

3.07

2.10

Carries into penalty box

2.47

2.22

Well, while Saka is evidently a bigger goal threat, it would appear as though Williams is far more dangerous when it comes to taking on a marker and beating them.

Nico-Williams-Rodrio-de-Paul

The sheer number of carries and take-ons are immense. We know how good Arsenal's number 7 is in this regard so for a positional peer to trump him is rather impressive.

As Mattinson further stated, Williams is "good enough to displace Saka" and on statistical evidence, he's not wrong.

Saka-Arsenal