Some Everton supporters on Reddit have been discussing whether it would be wise for Director of Football Marcel Brands to look into a move for Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams.
The Spanish speedster joined Los Leones’ ranks from local side CD Pamplona at 18-years-old and instantly made an impression with his ability to find the back of the net with their Juvenil A squad.
Williams would not make it into the Basque outfit’s first-team until the 2014/15 season, though, and was not able to repeat his prolific results with the senior squad until the most recent term, when he struck double figures in a single La Liga campaign for the first time in his career.
The one-time Spain international is profoundly versatile, however, with appearances, goals and assists to his name across the attacking line-up, including a goal every 270 minutes as the designated striker – where he was deployed 31 times in the recently-concluded term, returning 12 goals, four assists.
As well as goals, the 25-year-old averaged 0.9 key passes per ninety minutes in La Liga during the 2018/19 term, along with 1.6 successful dribbles, 2.2 shots, 5.5 aerial duels, and was fouled 1.5 times, per WhoScored, to earn a new TransferMarkt valuation of £45million – rising from £27million.
Bilbao are a fraught side to negotiate with, though, as they often force any interested party to pay the full amount of the release clause for the player they are after, which is what led Chelsea to make Kepa Arrizabalaga the most expensive goalkeeper of all-time at £71million.
Their famous policy of only signing Basque-born players gives them greater reason not to cash-in on the talent they develop, too, as the money they receive cannot be put toward luring big-names to the San Mames to serve as their replacement.
This would be no different with Williams, as Spanish publication AS reported earlier in the year that his release clause will rise from €84million to €88milllion (£75.1m to £78.7m) on July 1, as his contract – which does not expire until 2025 – has a clause that sees his buy-out option increase by €4m (£3.5m) at the end of each season.
So, for the few fans who would love to see Williams ply his trade at Goodison Park, it would be an unlikely venture for Brands to pursue, but there are supporters who ‘dream’ of the Dutchman doing so…
Card
Card
Card
Card
Card
Card
Card