Why Liverpool and Arsenal want Athletic Bilbao forward Inaki Williams

By Will Unwin

A number of Premier League clubs have stood up to take notice of Athletic Bilbao's latest talent Inaki Williams.

The striker is following in the footsteps of many greats who have gone before him, having come up through the famous Lezama academy. His young brother Nicholas is also making great strides in the youth set-up.

Bilbao-born Williams, 21, can play anywhere across the front three, but has been consistently utilised on the left flank thanks to a mixture of his raw speed and skill, coupled with the consistent form of centre forward Aritz Aduriz, who won't allow any other forwards a look in. His versatility as a forward is a rare talent, which makes him so sought after.

Williams, who has a Ghanaian father and Liberian mother, made his debut for Athletic last season as the club struggled to find goals.

The club's traditional 4-5-1 formation meant Williams was shunted out to the left where his speed saw off most defenders, but his final ball was lacking as he tried to get used to the role at first-team level.

He'd been prolific for the Athletic's B team, netting 21 in 32, and the club quickly saw a need to promote him to the seniors.

When he netted against Torino in the Europa League he became the first black player to score for the club since its inception in 1898 - a culturally significant moment for Athletic.

Another significant goal for Williams personally arrived earlier this season against Espanyol when he received the ball on the edge of the area, flicked it over the defender on the spin and volleyed the ball into the top corner. A moment that won't have gone unmissed by Premier League scouts.

It was a strike of genius, akin to Paul Gascoigne's volley against Scotland at Euro '96, putting Williams on the map, as his talents were shown off to the world.

Williams always wants to move centrally when possible, with his intelligent running permitting him to find space between defenders, who spend most of their time focusing on the cunning veteran Aduriz, allowing Williams the chance to move in undetected.

In his first full season as a regular in Ernesto Valverde's side Williams is reaping the rewards of consistent playing time. After only netting three last season, he already has ten goals in 21 appearances this time around.

A brace against Real Betis showed off his attributes in the box. Firstly, he darted into the box at the last minute to flick a cross into the net. For his second, Williams waited on the edge of the area in a pocket of space, before having the ball laid off to him, allowing him to fire home across the goalkeeper.

There's still work to do on his final ball but his crossing has improved and he's intelligent when it comes to through balls, yet he can still rush his decisions.

When word got around about the Spain Under-21 international Spurs had scouts sent to watch him, with their observers now being joined by Liverpool and Arsenal staff keeping tabs on a player who has a release clause of £15.3 million, a relative snip in modern terms.

Athletic have lost Javi Martinez and Ander Herrera for double that in recent years, so the cost of Williams won't be putting many off. The club won't be willing to sell him for anything less than his stipulated cause, so there's no room for negotiation.

In a recent interview with Copa 90, Williams said of Athletic: "It is a unique club. It's a club that cannot be compared to any other."

Athletic want to extend the striker's deal beyond 2017 when his current contract runs out and have opened talks with him, as they hope he stays until 2019 at least.

Williams has big ambitions, which could be limited due to Athletic's Basque-only player policy, but they currently possess their best crop for many years and the prospect of being guaranteed the central striking role when Aduriz, 34, hangs up his boots could be enough to convince him to stay put.

His remarkable improvement since breaking into the first team show his intelligence on the pitch and ability to learn. He would need to utilise this if he were to move to the Premier League, but his ability to beat a man, his natural pace - he's ranked the fastest man in La Liga - and increasingly clinical nature in front of goal make him one of the hottest properties in European football.