Nico Williams to Spurs? Why Tottenham should consider signing the Spanish footballer

It is pretty unanimous among the Tottenham Hotspur fanbase that the club need to be in the market for a dynamic winger this summer. Here are all the reasons why Nico Williams should be the number one target.

Nico Williams is a 21-year-old winger who plays for Athletic Club in Spain, and despite his young age, he has already made 98 La Liga appearances for the Basque club (Transfermarkt).

In addition, he already has 13 caps for the Spain national team, representing them at just 20 years of age at the World Cup in Qatar (Transfermarkt). He also has one goal and three assists in four European Championship qualification appearances.

So what kind of profile does Williams fit? For one, he's very quick and dynamic in the wide channels and can play on either flank. He's particularly efficient at getting down the pitch and knocking crosses into box, but equally happy to move inside and get a shot off.

He's also a high pressing player with an extremely high work-rate. This season he's averaged 1.25 tackles a game and 6.5 ground duels won a game, perfect for Ange's high-octane style of play (FootyStats).

Spurs spent nearly half of the summer's Harry Kane money on Brennan Johnson on deadline day and then moved to bring in Timo Werner on loan from RB Leipzig in January; two very fast wide players, but also two players who could improve on their 1v1 ability.

Both Johnson and Werner are known to go on the outside and stretch their opposing full-back, but both are much more suited to having space in transition - something Ange Postecoglou's men often don't have the luxury of facing, often playing against deep, settled defenses.

Therefore, it's fair to say that Spurs need someone with better security on the ball, capable of taking players out of the game and opening up the pitch in the final third; this is something that Nico Williams loves to do.

Notably, Williams has averaged 3.37 successful dribbles across all competitions this season, compared to 2.22 and 0.93 from Werner and Johnson respectively along that same statistic (FootyStats).

Dejan Kulusevski has 1.82 dribbles a game, but still lacks the speed and athleticism of all three aforementioned players (FootyStats).

Williams currently has a contract set to run until 2027 and is seemingly loved by everyone at Athletic Club (Transfermarkt). He plays nearly every game on the opposite flank to his older brother Inaki, as well, and the video of the two of them hugging and crying after their recent Copa Del Rey final had even the most emotionless fans smiling.

However, his contract has a release clause of just €50 million, which roughly equates to £43 million; a low figure for a player of his quality and potential, especially with some of the high release clauses that get handed out in Spain.

Of course, the caveat to release clauses is that they are required to be payed in bulk, rather than the usual staggering over a 2-3 year period, but compared to some of the ridiculous fees you see handed out like confetti at a wedding in football these days, £43 million is a superb value for such potential and such a unique profile.

It has been reported by numerous sources that Nico Williams is of serious interest to Spurs, but they aren't and won't be alone (The Telegraph). Rivals Chelsea and Arsenal are also reported to be interested, as well as Athletic Club's La Liga counterparts FC Barcelona (The Mirror). If Daniel Levy and co. are to give Ange the backing he wants and needs, Spurs must act quickly and decisively in the summer market - whether it be for Nico Williams or other players.

So, to summarize: a young, lightning quick, hard working 1v1 specialist with bags of potential to become an elite player is available for approximately £43 million pounds this summer - this would be a massive missed opportunity if Tottenham Hotspur weren't to pursue Williams. If he turns the club down for another venture, there's nothing that can be done, but the club must be able to say they did everything in their power to make it happen.