When the new sports director of the Gunners Andrea Berta went through serious candidates to improve their attacking scope, Williams was one of the first cases he had to explore.
Williams was on the list of Arsenal and Berta all season accepted him as the primary candidate to fill in a position on the left side of Arsenal.
It would take a huge financial obligation – he would be one of their best paid players and the £ 50 million release clause that was paid in advance.
The biggest problem was always that, even during several conversations with the player and his camp, there seemed to be a lack of conviction that he really wanted the move.
In May, Arsenal decided to continue with the chase. It was a difficult decision, but the two -sided concern about his loyalty towards Athletic Club and an observed desire to become a member of Barcelona was a problem that they thought they could reduce their approach to the market.
While Williams now signs a new 10-year contract to stay in Bilbao, the Gunners feel justified.
Barca will be hurt by the decision, after the representatives of Athletic Club and Williams had set the spotlights on their registration problems and a transfer began to fall apart.
New options must now be accelerated for Barcelona, with Luis Diaz and Marcus Rashford two of the names they will pursue.
But when Williams decided to return and sign a commitment until 2035 in the Basque Country, Arsenal officials were not surprised. They always wondered if he was really willing to leave.
They are already continuing with other own plans.
The next two weeks will be very interesting at Emirates Stadium: the announcement of Martin Zubimendi is on your hands, with all the details confirmed. Conversations continue to sign Crithian Mosquera from Valencia.
Rodrygo's Real Madrid situation is about to become clearer if the Club World Cup goes into the final phase and Arsenal is encouraged that he is ready to talk to them as soon as it is over.
Ebereechi Eze is a deal that is ready to be closed if they want it, after he has given his word that he is willing to choose Arsenal as his next house after Crystal Palace. Arsenal has tried to discover whether they can land it under his release clause and the dialogue is open.
Noni Madueke van Chelsea has also been considered an option.
Then there is the striker situation that is going on and will certainly be sorted so that they have a new No. 9 bedding for the new season opener against Manchester United.
Arsenal wanted Benjamin Sesko for that role, but the negotiations on his compensation were complex in discussions with RB Leipzig – that is why their interest in Viktor Gyokeres has been back in the headlines in recent days.
Berta started to see Gyokeres as a great alternative signing for Sesko, while the prospect of signing someone from the Premier League – such as Alexander Isak or Ollie Watkins – was also recently taken into consideration.
It feels like something special is going to happen for Arsenal in this window at the moment. That might not have been the case if they had continued to chase the impossible dream of signing Williams.
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