Chelsea’s pursuit of Borussia Dortmund winger Jamie Gittens failed to materialise before Tuesday’s transfer deadline prior to the Club World Cup. Fabrizio Romano confirmed that ‘negotiations will continue’ later in the summer, but it is unclear if a deal will be agreed with the Englishman's current side.
Thus, the Blues might turn their attention to other options out wide, with Enzo Maresca clearly eying up a new winger this summer. One of the names on their list appears to be Alejandro Garnacho, with Chelsea ‘monitoring’ his situation at Old Trafford. He could cost upwards of £70m, as per The Telegraph.
Garnacho-Man-Utd-Lyon
However, there is an alternative name to Garnacho and Gittens, who might prove to be a better option than the Argentine international.
Latest on Chelsea's search for a winger
Chelsea’s summer transfer plan is clear and quite similar to previous windows under Todd Boehly. Buy young, talented players with a high ceiling who can impact now and in the future. That is certainly a policy that Gittens and Garnacho fit into.
Well, so does Athletic Club and Spain attacker Nico Williams, a player Chelsea have been constantly linked with. Those rumours are not going away, with one Spanish outlet suggesting the West Londoners are one of the sides ‘courting’ him this summer, and could line up a move.
They will face competition from other powerhouses of European football, too. One of those is London rival Arsenal, with Bundesliga giants Bayern Munich also showing strong interest.
nico-williams-arsenal-premier-league
The 22-year-old has a £49m release clause in his deal, meaning Chelsea, or indeed any other side interested, would have to pay that fee to bring him in.
Why Williams would be a good signing
It has proved to be yet another strong campaign for Williams. He maintained his starting spot in the Spain side over the most recent international break, showing just how good his form has been in 2024/25. He is an "electric" player, according to Statman Dave.
Spain star Nico Williams
For Los Leones in all competitions last term, the 22-year-old attacker played 45 games, finding the back of the net 11 times and grabbing seven assists in that time. The winger mainly played on the left, although he did operate on the right-hand side twice.
Williams’ standout form surely came in the Europa League, a competition in which his side reached the semi-final before losing to Manchester United. The Spaniard scored five goals and assisted two in their run to the penultimate stage, including one strike against Rangers in the quarter-final.
The Spain international, who was born in Pamplona, had a far more fruitful season than Garnacho when it comes to goals and assists.
He notched up ten top-flight goal involvements and seven in Europe, compared to eight in the Premier League and five in the Europa League for the Man United number 17.
Garnacho-Man-Utd
Indeed, Garnacho did finish the season with an impressive tally of 21 goals and assists, although he did struggle for consistency in the Premier League and Europa League.
At one stage, he went 16 Premier League games without scoring or assisting, a drought that was broken by a goal against Leicester City.
Looking at the underlying numbers on FBref, there is further data to suggest Williams is better than Garnacho. For example, the Spaniard averages 5.29 shot-creating actions per 90 minutes, compared to the United winger’s 3.63 shot-creating actions each game, illustrating the greater threat he poses in the final third.
Williams and Garnacho key stats compared
Stat (per 90)
Goals and assists
Key passes
Shot-creating actions
Goal-creating actions
Take-ons completed
Stats from FBref
For a player of that quality, a deal of £49m seems a bargain for Chelsea this summer. He is, at this stage, outperforming Garnacho, as the stats suggest, and could prove to be the perfect signing if they miss out on Gittens.
nico-williams
Chelsea’s transfer plan this summer is clear, and Williams fits the bill perfectly. He could be a superb addition for the Blues as they look to rise up the Premier League table in 2025/26.
Chelsea-Wirtz Related
[Maresca's own Wirtz: Chelsea want "world-class" £100m star after Gittens](https://www.footballfancast.com/marescas-own-wirtz-chelsea-want-morgan-gibbs-white-after-gittens/ "Maresca's own Wirtz: Chelsea want "world-class" £100m star after Gittens")
Chelsea could be about to make a move for a player who could emulate Florian Wirtz's switch to England.