{"id":43367,"date":"2026-02-17T01:51:23","date_gmt":"2026-02-17T06:51:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/mikel-arteta-eyeing-e100m-spanish-signing-to-improve-arsenals-left-flank\/"},"modified":"2026-02-17T01:51:23","modified_gmt":"2026-02-17T06:51:23","slug":"mikel-arteta-eyeing-e100m-spanish-signing-to-improve-arsenals-left-flank","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/mikel-arteta-eyeing-e100m-spanish-signing-to-improve-arsenals-left-flank\/","title":{"rendered":"Mikel Arteta eyeing \u20ac100m Spanish signing to improve Arsenal&#8217;s left flank"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_74 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-grey ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/mikel-arteta-eyeing-e100m-spanish-signing-to-improve-arsenals-left-flank\/#Arsenal_plan_to_strengthen_left-wing_position\" >Arsenal plan to strengthen left-wing position<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/2026\/02\/17\/mikel-arteta-eyeing-e100m-spanish-signing-to-improve-arsenals-left-flank\/#Gunners_will_have_to_pay_Nicos_hefty_termination_fee\" >Gunners will have to pay Nico&#8217;s hefty termination fee<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Arsenal are reportedly open to a move for Nico Williams this summer, with the Spanish international reportedly open to leaving Athletic Club despite only signing a long-term deal last year.<br \/><\/strong><br \/>According to TEAMtalk, the Gunners are one of several elite clubs in Europe to have been briefed on the winger&#8217;s situation and are preparing for what could be one of their headline pursuits in the window.<\/p>\n<p>Last summer, Williams committed his future to Athletic and agreed a 10-year contract, amid strong interest from Barcelona.<\/p>\n<p>However, the 23-year-old is said to be re-evaluating his options after a difficult campaign for the Basque international.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Arsenal_plan_to_strengthen_left-wing_position\"><\/span>Arsenal plan to strengthen left-wing position<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Arsenal have been quietly considering reinforcements on the left side at the request of manager Mikel Arteta.<\/p>\n<p>Leandro Trossard and Gabriel Martinelli have both made important contributions this season, but the club&#8217;s recruitment team, led by sporting chief Andrea Berta, are thought to be looking for more quality and competition in that area.<\/p>\n<p>Arteta&#8217;s tactical framework demands more than raw pace from his wide players. Defensive work rate, positional discipline and versatility are essential.<\/p>\n<p>Williams fits that mold. Unlike traditional wingers who primarily cut inside, he is equally comfortable breaking out wide or attacking central spaces.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Gunners_will_have_to_pay_Nicos_hefty_termination_fee\"><\/span>Gunners will have to pay Nico&#8217;s hefty termination fee<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<figure class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\">Nico Williams plays for Athletic Bilbao (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Athletic Club have reportedly included a release clause of approximately 100 million euros in Williams&#8217; contract.<\/p>\n<p>While the figure reflects his talent and international pedigree, there is also speculation that Athletic may be open to structured negotiations, especially given the player&#8217;s wage package and recent dip in form.<\/p>\n<p>Arsenal are thought to view the situation as a potential market opportunity.<\/p>\n<p>Valuation remains important, but elite-level wingers in their early 20s are rarely available at a premium.<\/p>\n<p>Competition is likely. Clubs across Europe continue to monitor Williams&#8217; progress.<\/p>\n<p>For Arteta, having a winger who can strengthen his defense and maintain defensive discipline will add a new dimension to an already evolving squad.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Saka expected to miss out on Arsenal captaincy<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End -->\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Arsenal are reportedly open to a move for Nico Williams this summer, with the Spanish international reportedly open to leaving Athletic Club despite only signing a long-term deal last year.According to TEAMtalk, the Gunners are one of several elite clubs in Europe to have been briefed on the winger&#8217;s situation and are preparing for what [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":28753,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[40],"class_list":{"0":"post-43367","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-football","8":"tag-football"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28753"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sportsdaily.news\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}