Ex-Tottenham scout warns that signing La Liga winger could be a mistake
Athletic Bilbao's Nico Williams has been heating things up in Spain's top-flight across the past couple of months, garnering interest from a number of top clubs.
Tottenham are among one of the sides who were recently thought to be considering activating the 21-year-old's £42.8 million release clause (The Telegraph).
The Spanish footballer has six goals and 14 assists in 32 appearances across all competitions this season, including a goal in Bilbao's 2-0 win over Atletico Madrid back in December (Transfermarkt).
However, former Spurs scout Bryan King recently told Tottenham News that cashing in on the young player may not be the smartest move.
"I don’t think singing Williams would be a wise investment for Tottenham," King stated.
"There are enough wide players already at the club, I don’t see the sense in bringing in another one. Tottenham need to be more focused on spending that money in central positions, both in midfield and going forward."
More specifically, King believes that Conor Gallagher would be a good option to pursue on that front.
"I wouldn’t be focussed on Williams, definitely not for £42.8 million. Put that money toward someone else, someone such as Gallagher."
According to recent reports from Football Insider, Tottenham are still in pursuit of Chelsea's midfielder, who may have to be let go of this summer in order to help with the club's ongoing financial troubles.
As it stands, Tottenham do in-fact have plenty of wide options. Perhaps where they're struggling most is in the central facet of the front-three. There have been positive developments in that effort as well, with Vamos Cruz Azul reporting that Feyenoord are now willing to sell the highly sought-after Santiago Gimenez for a mere £30m (via The Spurs Web).
With that in mind, Tottenham may want to focus their transfer priorities on acquiring Gimenez's talents before considering Nico Williams, a player who hasn't scored in league play since the aforementioned match against Atletico Madrid over four months ago, and whose tranfser fee would be much higher.