Ollie Watkins full of praise for Aston Villa summer arrival Diego Carlos
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins feels it was a surpise that Diego Carlos decided to join the club after receiving bigger offers from elsewhere.
The 29-year-old made the switch to the summer switch to Villa Park from Sevilla in a move believed to be in the region of £26million.
Carlos has performed well in pre-season and has drawn praise from England international Watkins.
Watkins said [as quoted by Express and Star, 29 July]: “From what I have seen, he is a monster really.
“It is surprising he has chosen Villa when he has had bigger offers. It is really nice to see because he believes in the project.
“We’ve also got Boubacar Kamara, who breaks up play defensively and is what we needed, I think.
Promising signs
The signing of Carlos certainly raised a few eyebrows considering his age and the amount that Villa forked out on the defender.
However, it appears that he is certainly making a good impression on his teammates in preseason and could well turn out to be an excellent addition to Steven Gerrard’s rearguard.
His towering presence and aggressive defending could go hand in hand with Tyrone Mings, as the England international looks to rediscover some good form after the disappointment of losing the Villa captaincy to John McGinn.
Carlos looks like a ready-made player to slot straight into Gerrard’s starting eleven and really make an impact in the 2022/23 Premier League season.
There will certainly be some pressure on the Brazilian after making a big money move to the Premier League.
Gerrard will be desperate for Carlos to make his side a solid defensive unit and get off to a good start to the season and relieve any growing pressure on the Villa boss.
In other Aston Villa news, Matty Cash is set to have competition at right-back as another Villa youngster looks set to stay and fight for his place.