Newcastle United considered signing Nico Williams during the January transfer window, and he is still on the Magpies’ radar heading into the summer.
That is according to the Athletic, who state that Newcastle have continued to scout Williams despite the arrival of Anthony Gordon.
The Magpies were looking to sign an attacker following the departure of Chris Wood to Nottingham Forest. It looked like Gordon was Eddie Howe’s top target, with Newcastle reigniting their interest in the Everton academy graduate.
But there were other options that the club were pursuing, one of which was an unnamed talent from overseas.
It was later reported that the player in question was Nico Williams, the Spain international who plays for Athletic Bilbao in La Liga.
He continues to play for Bilbao alongside his brother Inaki, but could be the subject of interest from Newcastle once again in the summer.
There is room for Anthony Gordon and Nico Williams at Newcastle
While in January it was Gordon OR Williams, we could see a scenario in the very near future where it is Gordon AND Williams.
Despite the arrival of Gordon, Newcastle are still looking for attacking reinforcements. The Athletic state that the club are looking ‘adaptable forwards’ who can play in multiple positions, just like Gordon. He can play on the left or right of attack, while we have even seen him play as an attacking midfielder so far in his Toon career.
Williams is another attacker who is versatile. He predominantly plays on the right wing, which would mean he would arrive as competition for Miguel Almiron.
We certainly need more options out wide ahead of next season, especially with a European campaign potentially looming. Howe will need strength in depth to compete on multiple fronts, which is why Williams is still being targeted.
The 20-year-old is an incredibly exciting player, who currently has seven goals and six assists in all competitions this season.
That makes him more influential than January recruit Gordon and Toon number 10 Allan Saint-Maximin, boasting more goal contributions than the Newcastle duo’s combined tally. They only have seven goal contributions between them this season, including Gordon’s time at Everton.
Williams has the potential that Howe is looking for, while he is already an extremely watchable talent. His brother Inaki has described him as ‘unstoppable‘ in one-on-one situations, which makes him exactly the type of player that Toon fans will love.