Analysis: What should Barcelona do if they fail to sign Nico Williams?

In the coming days, it should be known where Nico Williams will be playing his football next season. Barcelona are pushing hard to convince him to leave his boyhood club, where he plays alongside his brother. They’ve already agreed the terms of his prospective contract, with the only element missing being the 22-year-old’s approval.

Barcelona, in particular president Joan Laporta and sporting director Deco, have gone hard in their efforts to convince Williams, but it’s entirely possible that he turns them down in order to continue at Athletic for at least one more season – it’s worth nothing that Los Leones will be playing in the Europa League, and that’s an additional lure.

It’s widely known that Dani Olmo is the “Plan B” option if Barcelona fail to sign Williams – club bosses are trying to sign the 26-year-old anyway, although it would be made significantly easier if they did not miss his international teammate first. However, it’s not controversial to say that this approach would be the wrong one.

It is true that Barcelona would require a new left winger if they missed out on Williams, and Olmo can play there well. However, Hansi Flick already has Raphinha, Ansu Fati and Ferran Torres as existing options there, so there would be no real need for a non-specialist – especially if Raphinha can carry on the form he showed last season.

Furthermore, Olmo is not required at the number 10 position. Pedri, Ilkay Gundogan and Fermin Lopez are all first team options to play there, and if needs be, Pablo Torre can be kept too. Spending €60m on a player that is not a necessity would be poor business, especially in their current financial state.

The obvious choice would be for Barcelona to divert the Williams funds into a new defensive midfielder – it’s the position that is needed the most in the entire squad. Even if the full €60m+ money isn’t spent on a player (Mikel Merino would cost €20-25m), the excess money can be saved for next year’s business, or it can also be used if a market opportunity arises.

The dream for Barcelona would be Martin Zubimendi, and if there’s any chance that he can be convinced to leave Real Sociedad (unlikely), they should pursue that in the event of Williams rejecting them. He’s much, much more needed than Olmo would be, and that is clear to see.

Ultimately, Barcelona will be hoping not to miss out on Williams, but it’s a very real possibility. Irrespective of the glaring needs of the squad, it does seem more likely that Olmo would be the leading choice to be signed – which would be a massive mistake.

The post Analysis: What should Barcelona do if they fail to sign Nico Williams? appeared first on Football España.