Barcelona and Nico Williams appear entangled in yet another transfer saga. However, unlike the previous summer, major developments have already occurred in Barcelona’s pursuit of the winger.
According to Fabrizio Romano, the Catalan giants have already agreed personal terms with the star winger and are aiming to make him the second signing of the summer after Joan Garcia.
In this article, we discuss four key reasons Nico Williams would be a perfect fit for Hansi Flick’s style of play.
Bringing the best out of Balde
Nico Williams would immediately improve Barcelona’s left-side dynamics. Due to Raphinha operating as a secondary striker, he often vacated the entire left flank for Balde to cover. While Balde did an exceptional job, the burden on him was excessive, making him a wing-back in a system tailored for full-backs.
It was due to his demanding role that he had to rest the most out of his peers and eventually ended up missing the most crucial phase of the season through injury.
However, with Nico Williams slotting on the left, Raphinha can play through the middle as a number 10, and Balde can finally reap the benefits of a left-winger. His connection with a true winger has always been encouraging, as we have seen multiple times with Ansu Fati on the pitch. It allows him to time his underlapping and overlapping runs more effectively, rather than constantly having to generate width on his own.
This partnership would give Barcelona a more natural left-sided progression and reduce Balde’s physical load. With Nico pinning defenders wide and offering 1v1 threat, Balde can focus on his strengths: explosive bursts centrally and cutbacks closer to goal (his best attribute).
The quality of his cut-backs and carries in central areas have always been superb, as being closer to goal removes wide angles and shortens distance. Not to forget, Nico’s presence would allow him to be better positioned defensively.
Breaking down low-blocks
Throughout last season, Barcelona had no trouble blowing big teams away with sizeable scorelines. However, ironically they faced the most problems against rigid low-blocks in La Liga.
Whenever central zones would be clogged, Yamal would be tasked to take men on and conjure moments of magic from the right.
While Yamal delivered impressively, the overreliance on a single outlet made Barcelona’s attack increasingly predictable. Beyond Yamal and Alejandro Balde, the squad lacked consistent 1v1 threats.
This changes with Nico Williams. As a dribbling specialist, he is perfectly capable of breaking down low-blocks. His explosive running, direct style, and relentlessness offer Barcelona a much-needed threat from the left. With Nico in the lineup, the team gains better balance in wide areas, more unpredictability in attack, and a reliable option when central routes are shut down.
Nico Williams has the second-most successful dribbles in the past two La Liga seasons (154), falling behind Lamine Yamal (231). The last time Barcelona had two of the best dribblers as their wing pairing was when Messi and Neymar played for the club.
The yin to Yamal’s yang
Yamal and Nico Williams have proven to be the most complementary wing pairing for Spain. As Yamal provides creativity and drifts centrally to thread through balls or chipped balls inside the box, Nico Williams’ 1v1 electricity perfectly balances the setup by stretching the pitch wide on the left, pinning full-backs back and offering direct penetration.
This would be an eerily identical pairing to the infamous Ribbery and Robben pairing at Bayern Munich.
In addition to the balance, recall the enormous space Nico Williams had in the Nations League and the damage he caused with it. This is exactly the kind of dynamic created when a player like Lamine Yamal attracts multiple defenders. Barcelona need someone on the opposite flank who can exploit that free space decisively, and Nico has shown he can do just that.
Highly accomplished in central areas
Apart from his obvious strengths in 1v1’s Nico is surprisingly strong in holding off defenders when receiving the ball with his back to goal. He uses his body well to shield the ball and link up with midfielders or overlapping full-backs. This makes him a reliable outlet when building out from deeper areas or under pressure and when you are going direct.
While he’s known for hugging the touchline and stretching play, Nico also times his movements into the half-spaces exceptionally well.
These inward runs often come after releasing the ball wide or as a second-phase movement when the full-back overlaps. It ensures he’s not limited to just wide dribbling but can also threaten in central attacking zones as either a creator or goalscorer. His passing is quite underrated; in the Euro 2024, he had the most successful passes into the opposition box (46). What’s certain is that concerns about his output should not be taken seriously.
Finally, he has an incredible ability to drive forward in transitional situations, perfectly suited for Flick-ball and the Champions League. With playmakers behind him and Joan Garcia’s arrival, another direct threat will be key.
