‘Have been scouting’: Chelsea considered signing 21-year-old attacker before Cole Palmer – Romano

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Chelsea looked at Athletic Bilbao winger Nico Williams before they signed Cole Palmer in the summer.

That is according to Fabrizio Romano.

The Italian journalist recently shared on his YouTube channel that Chelsea have had an eye on Nico Williams for a while and had him on their list of offensive targets alongside Cole Palmer and Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise.

In the end, though, the Blues went for Palmer, who has not disappointed. The former Manchester City man got his name on the scoresheet in his side’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal over the weekend and was hailed by Mauricio Pochettino after the game.

Chelsea considered signing Nico Williams

While Palmer may be impressing at Chelsea now, it looks like his club thought about signing Williams instead of him.

Speaking about the two players on his YouTube channel, Romano said: “On that list of players being considered by Chelsea alongside Olise, alongside Cole Palmer and many others, there was also Nico Williams.

“Chelsea have been scouting Nico Williams for [a] long time, then they decided to go for Cole Palmer.”

Could Chelsea sign Nico Williams in the future?

It does not seem impossible. He is a player who they clearly like and his contract at Athletic Bilbao is running down.

However, after signing Palmer, we do not think that the 21-year-old Spain international needs to be a priority for the Blues right now.

Palmer is performing, while Chelsea have a decent batch of wingers in general. Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke are also wide options Pochettino currently has at his disposal.

Like Palmer, Sterling and Mudryk have been in form this season. The latter scored in the draw with Arsenal, while the former grabbed a goal in the 4-1 win against Burnley before the international break.

All in all, then, perhaps Chelsea should concentrate on strengthening other areas of their squad.

A new striker, for example, may be necessary. If Nicolas Jackson and Armando Broja cannot provide the side with goals on a regular basis, then Chelsea could have a bit of a problem.