Nico Williams has paid tribute to Athletic Club teammate Oscar de Marcos after it was confirmed he would be retiring from football at the end of the season.
Having made a staggering 572 appearances for the Basque club, he undoubtedly departs as a club legend with three trophies won during a 16-year spell. Though Athletic were unable to win another piece of silverware during his final campaign, consistent results in La Liga has seen them qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Links to an Emirates Stadium switch for the Spaniard have been prominent for some time, with Arteta a big admirer even before his breakout performance at Euro 2024, as football.london understands.
Signing a wide forward is one task for Andrea Berta over the coming months, and Williams appears to be Arteta’s preferred target, though there are several others under consideration. Jamie Gittens, Ademola Lookman, Bryan Mbeumo and Rodrygo are all believed to be of interest.
In his latest press conference, Arteta was asked about those links to Rodrygo, and his answer on being mentioned as an interested party in the race for that level of player was certainly telling.
“Well, I wouldn’t like to name a player,” he began on Friday morning. “But obviously we have come… I think the biggest thing is that, and using the word pride, is that we have brought the club into a position, into a place that next season: ‘You have to win a major trophy.’
“That means that everybody believes that we have the level, that we have shown the consistency, and we are an elite team in this country and in Europe. And if you don’t do that, then what’s going to happen? So, for me, that’s the biggest statement, that Arsenal is there.
There are no guarantees Rodrygo picks the Gunners if he opts to leave Madrid, but there is certainly some hope. If that move does not transpire, attention could turn back onto Williams though the 22-year-old could again opt to stay at his boyhood club following his message for someone he likely looks up to.
Reposting Athletic’s message for de Marcos onto his Instagram story, he captioned it with two red heart emojis. Athletic play their final game of the 2024/25 season this weekend at home to champions Barcelona with a third-place finish potentially up for grabs.
Williams may not be able to feature in that clash however, with injury seeing him miss the last few weeks.
