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Barcelona continue to be strongly linked with Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, who is one of the club’s primary targets to fortify the left-wing position.

Now, former Barcelona midfielder and captain of Barça in the 1980s Jose Vicente ‘Tente’ Sanchez has spoken highly about the Spanish winger, affirming that Barcelona would do well to acquire his signature.

High praise for Nico Williams

Tente Sanchez praised the impressive wing pairing of Nico Williams and Lamine Yamal on the Spanish national team, highlighting their exceptional abilities.

“Before thinking about signing Nico Williams, Barça should be on a 1:1 basis. I think he’s a very good player, and I say it clearly, and he’s proving it alongside Lamine Yamal. They’re young, they’re cheeky, they’ve got quality,” he stated via SPORT.

Additionally, Tente Sanchez argued that he finds Nico more engaging to watch compared to Raphinha, even suggesting that selling Raphinha to raise funds for Nico would be a favourable move.

“Nico could play in a top-level team without any problem. If there was the possibility of signing him, I would sign him.

Raphinha scored 10 goals for Barcelona last season. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

“I’ll say more: if there’s the possibility of Raphinha leaving and getting some money, I would sign Nico. If I sit down to watch a match in which both of them play, I’ll pay more attention to Nico than Raphinha,” he claimed.

Drawing similarities between Nico and Lamine Yamal, he highlighted the Basque winger’s intelligent game awareness.

“Nico is very similar to Lamine. He understands the game and usually chooses the right moments, whether it’s the pass, the shot on goal or the dribble.”

Tente Sanchez also believes that it would not be a problem to pair Balde and Nico on the same wing, with their profiles complementing each other.

“Nico, both at Athletic and in the national team, when the full-back goes up, he worries about dropping back. Balde, on the other hand, despite being an attacking full-back, has a more defensive profile than Joao Cancelo.

“When one starts and goes up, the other will stay back. It’s a question of getting organized, nothing more,” he stated.

Lighting up the Euros. (Photo by ANGELOS TZORTZINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

On Ousmane Dembele

Dembele departed Barcelona last summer after PSG triggered his release clause. Despite admitting that he showed improvements in his final season at the club, Sanchez commented that the winger often made poor decisions and did not fully understand the game.

“In his last season at Barça, with Xavi, he improved. You didn’t know if he would go one way or the other, but he did other things that made it seem like he wasn’t in the game or the play.

“When he had to dribble, he passed the ball and when he had to pass the ball, he dribble. He also wanted to pass with three opponents in front of him… He just didn’t understand the game,” he remarked.

On Marc Guiu

The Barcelona striker recently joined Chelsea after being offered assurances of more play time and a higher financial package.

Opening up about his exit, Tente Sanchez sympathized with his decision, as finding regular game time at a competitive club like Barcelona is not the easiest.

“I imagine that Marc Guiu’s departure is due to the fact that the player’s agents will have asked the club for a leading role in the first team and the possibility of being able to play and that the club has not been able to offer this commitment.”

“Not everyone has a place in the first team. These are decisions that have to be made. There are players who are expected due to age and others who are not.

“He has considered his future, but that does not mean that he does not love the club. It is more a professional than an emotional issue,” he said.

On the future of Barcelona

Conveying optimism about Barcelona’s future, Tente Sanchez advises patience and not to get anxious.

He commented that the players will need to adjust to Hansi Flick’s strategy, but the coach will also try to fit the team’s current style. Ultimately, everything depends on the results.

“We have to wait a bit, let’s not get nervous. We’ll see how the squad is defined, the 1:1 rule, which the coach says, which hasn’t been presented yet… We don’t know what he thinks of the team, or what his idea of ​​​​play is.

“What is evident is that the players will have to adapt to the way Flick wants the team to play, although I understand that he will try, as far as possible, to adapt to our way of playing, but everything will depend on the results,” he said.