Raphinha at No.10 or Robert Lewandowski on the bench? How Barcelona could line up if Lamine Yamal's Spain sidekick Nico Williams completes €58m transfer from Athletic Club

It's not difficult to understand why Williams has been a long-term priority target for Barca. He's registered an impressive haul of 18 goal involvements for Athletic over the past year, and has also been a tremendous sidekick for Lamine Yamal at international level.

Yamal usually steals the headlines when Spain play, his dazzling two-goal display against France in the semi-finals of the Nations League being the latest example, but Williams also plays a vital role in Luis de la Fuente's set-up. Williams is not quite as unpredictable as the Barcelona wonderkid, but he is equally as adept at stretching defences and providing teasing crosses.

Indeed, it could even be argued that Williams outshone Yamal during Spain's run to Euro 2024 glory, as he capped a stellar tournament by scoring in the final against England. At club level, Williams' numbers don't yet match up to his compatriot, but that could easily change at Barca.

The main thing, from the Blaugrana's standpoint, is that both youngsters bring the best out of each other. Despite being separated by roughly 70 meters across the pitch, Williams and Yamal have a natural kinship that has helped transform Spain back into the most feared national team on the planet again, and Barca will be hoping it can get them over the line in the Champions League next season.

For the money being paid, there is no chance of Williams being just a squad player at Barca. He is being touted to be a starter on the left wing, a role currently occupied by Raphinha.

Last summer, Barca's pursuit of Williams left Raphinha disillusioned. At that stage, the Spain attacker looked like an obvious upgrade on the Brazilian, who had endured a largely frustrating 2023-24 campaign under Xavi.

But when the deal didn't go through, Raphinha stopped sulking and set about proving Barca's recruitment team wrong. Flick put the former Leeds United man's versatility to far better use than Xavi ever did, and he quickly became the driving force behind the team's assault on all three major trophies.

In 55 appearances across all competitions, Raphinha recorded a combined total of 56 goals and assists. The 28-year-old finally unlocked his world-class potential as Barca clinched a domestic double and reached the Champions League semi-finals, setting a shining example with his work rate and professionalism. Raphinha's influence was so great he may even be rewarded with the 2025 Ballon d'Or. As such, after such a glorious redemption story, it would be incredibly harsh if Barca go through with their original plan to drop him for Williams.

There is, however, no doubt that Williams is more of an old-school left-winger than Raphinha. In Flick's system, the Brazil international has taken on more of a playmaker role while tucking inside to lead Barca's press from the centre. In stark contrast, Williams will hug the touchline and look to attack his marker at every opportunity.

The obvious solution, then, is for Flick to make Raphinha Barca's new Ronaldinho. He featured as a No.10 in six games last season, with his standout display coming in a 5-0 Champions League demolition of Young Boys, in which he produced a magical pass for Robert Lewandowski's opening goal before scoring the second himself.

Raphinha is quite capable of dancing past multiple defenders and conjuring up incisive through-balls from nowhere, while he also boasts the agility and control to change direction quickly under pressure. Barca can rely on Raphinha to be their creator-in-chief, just as they did with Ronaldinho in the Frank Rijkaard era.

Interestingly, though, Raphinha sees himself more in the mould of another of the club's iconic Brazilian No.10s. "Off the pitch I am a bit more like Ronaldinho and on the pitch a bit more like Rivaldo, more focused, more serious," he said when quizzed on comparisons with Ronaldinho in March.

It would be more accurate to describe Raphinha as a hybrid of the two, combining Ronaldinho's flair with Rivaldo's goal-scoring instincts. But the bottom line is: he is far too good to sit on the bench. Raphinha can continue to evolve alongside Williams, Flick just has to make the necessary adjustments.

Flick has favoured a 4-2-3-1 formation in his time at Barca so far, risking an ultra-high backline so as to focus on suffocating the opposition to regain possession quickly and look for the most direct route to goal. The No.10 position has, for the most part, been shared between Olmo and Fermin Lopez, who have both excelled.

They will, though, be relegated to a place among the substitutes if Raphinha is moved into the middle. Dropping them deeper won't be an option, because of the brilliant partnership that Pedri and Frenkie de Jong have formed just in front of the defence, with Gavi currently serving in a back-up capacity.

Doubts would inevitably be raised over Olmo and Fermin's futures if this happens, and Flick could switch to a 4-4-2 so as to put one of them in the centre next to Pedri or De Jong, with Raphinha supporting Lewandowski, but that could adversely affect Barca's pressing game.

One way or another, Williams' arrival is going to upset the apple cart. At least one key player is going to be phased out, with Yamal perhaps the only untouchable figure in Flick's ranks.

Not even Lewandowski can be considered safe if Williams joins the Barca ranks. Flick may even feel that the Poland striker is the most expendable, which is a difficult notion to comprehend, considering he was the club's top scorer in 2024-25 with 41 goals.

But at the ripe old age of 36, Lewandowski is in the twilight of his career. The former Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund talisman only has one more year left on his contract, and is unlikely to be handed another extension, with sporting director Deco having recently admitted that Barca are already planning for his departure.

It wouldn't be a surprise, then, if Lewandowski's minutes were gradually reduced. Barca have more than enough firepower to play without a traditional No.9, and could potentially copy the Luis Enrique model that led to the most successful season in Paris Saint-Germain's history.

PSG reached a whole new level after trusting Ousmane Dembele to lead the line, with teenage sensation Desire Doue and January signing Khvicha Kvaratskhelia completing their first-choice front three, with Bradley Barcola able to rotate in when called upon. Who's to say Barca wouldn't reap similar rewards if Raphinha took up a false nine role? He can certainly match Dembele for ability and work ethic.

Lewandowski could be used as an impact substitute instead, allowing Olmo and Fermin to remain the go-to duo in attacking midfield. It would be a controversial move given the prolific Pole has shown little sign of physical decline, but one that could lead to marginal gains in Barca's quest to conquer Europe again.

Of all the different options at Flick's disposal, putting Raphinha at No.10 makes the most sense if Barca are to maintain harmony with the addition of Williams. But they don't really need the Athletic Club attacker.

Barcelona's haul of 102 goals was by far the best record in La Liga last term, and they were also the top scorers in the Champions League with 43 goals, five more than eventual winners PSG. Flick could keep the same frontline for another year and they'd have just as good a chance of winning the treble again.

Williams is a fine player who will add extra quality upfront, but fixing the defence should be the main focus. At centre-back especially, Barca look woefully short on quality depth, as while they have the supremely-talented teenager Pau Cubarsi and the dependable veteran Inigo Martinez as starters, Andreas Christensen has been plagued by injuries while Araujo has gone from being one of the most promising talents in Europe to a complete liability.

The lack of elite cover for star full-backs Jules Kounde and Alejandro Balde is also a major concern, and given Martinez is now 34, Barca should be putting their limited resources into a defensive reinforcements, especially with arch-rivals Real Madrid now strengthening significantly in that area, and leave the forward tinkering for when Lewandowski departs.

Fireworks are guaranteed when Williams links up with Yamal at club level, and he'll help Barca continue to fight for the biggest prizes. But simply outscoring everyone is not a sustainable blueprint if they want to usher in a new era of dominance.