Emmanuel Petit has urged Mikel Arteta to sign a Spain World Cup star who Arsenal attempted to buy in the last summer transfer window.
With a Premier League title to defend and a Champions League final loss to avenge, Arteta is looking to make a big splash in the transfer market.
Top of his shopping list is a new left-winger, with the futures of Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli up in the air.
Morgan Rogers appears to be the top target, with the England international reportedly ‘quite keen’ on the move, though Aston Villa’s £100million-plus valuation may prove a stumbling block.
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But Petit has suggested the Gunners explore a move for a slightly cheaper alternative, who was heavily linked with the Emirates just 12 months ago: Nico Williams
‘Arsenal were fighting to get him last season,’ the former Gunners midfielder said of Williams via the Sunday Mirror.
‘He’s so powerful in terms of dribbling. This guy will bring such a huge improvement for Arsenal if they can get him.
‘If he can take Arsenal to the next level, it’s money well spent.’
Arsenal were locked in battle against Barcelona for Williams’ signature last summer, only for the winger to shockingly pen a new 10-year contract with boyhood club Athletic Bilbao.
It is said that contract does contain a reported €100m (£86m) release clause, but the 23-year-old’s reported base salary of £277,000-a-week would make a transfer very difficult.
2025/26 was not Williams’ best season, with several injury issues restricting him to just 20 La Liga starts, and just six goals and four assists.
A key player in Spain’s Euro 2024 triumph, he hasn’t been able to have an impact at the 2026 World Cup yet and may not be able to feature in the round of 32 clash against Austria on Thursday.
Spain give Nico Williams injury update ahead of World Cup clash
Spain have issued a positive injury update on Williams and Yeremy Pino after fears that the wingers were set to miss the rest of the World Cup.
Both Williams and Crystal Palace ace Pino were on the receiving end of poor challenges after coming off the bench in Spain’s final group game against Uruguay.
It has now been confirmed that Williams has a groin injury and while Pino has avoided a tournament-ending collarbone fracture, he has suffered a ‘acromioclavicular sprain’, an injury to the ligaments connecting the collarbone and shoulder blade.
An official update from the Spanish football federation says the injuries are of ‘moderate severity’, though it is still not clear whether either player will feature again at the World Cup.
‘Today is one of the worst days of my life,’ Williams wrote in a lengthy Instagram post on Saturday.
‘I’m injured again after a very complicated year, in which I fought many battles against a pubalgia, but won the war with sacrifice and most of all, responsibility.
‘I overcame that injury, and then another one on my hamstring tested me again. Once more, I stopped smiling but I wasn’t going to stop.
‘Yesterday, I suffered another injury after a challenge by a fellow professional, driven by frustration, discontent, and sadness over his situation. It was a play that, in my opinion, could have been avoided because it was completely unnecessary.
‘The story is not over, see you as soon as possible at this World Cup.’
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