Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins could now be worth £60million after contract news emerges – Sky Sports journalist
Dan Bardell believes that Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins could be worth up to £60million after his recent goalscoring exploits under Unai Emery.
The English forward took his tally for this Premier League season to 12 goals after netting an audacious chip in the closing minutes of Aston Villa’s 2-0 win over Nottingham Forest at the weekend.
Last week, the Daily Mail reported (7 April) that Villa were in talks with Watkins over a new contract to make him one of the club’s highest earners alongside the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Emi Martinez and Tyrone Mings.
Such contract talks come as no surprise considering the England international’s purple patch of form since the arrival of Unai Emery at Villa Park, which has seen the striker net nine goals in his last 11 Premier League outings.
Watkins’ goalscoring exploits have seen him net in six consecutive away games and break the club’s record previously held by Paul Rideout.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Sky Sports and The Athletic’s Dan Bardell admitted that he thought Watkins could now be valued up to double the £30million fee Villa paid Brentford for his services back in 2020.
He said: “It would have been interesting to know if he hadn’t gone on this massive goalscoring run if he would have been offered new terms as has been reported, but I would have been offering him a contract either way because I think he offers you so much as a forward.
“And now that he has added goals, he is an unstoppable force right now.
“I think Watkins is worth double what the club paid for him now, maybe around £50 to £60million, especially at the moment when he’s on absolute fire and he’s scoring almost every week.
“But Emery obviously identified him every week as the strongest striker at the club and let Danny Ings go in the January transfer window, and that decision has repaid him.
“To score in six away games in a row in the Premier League is no easy task, so he’s broken all kinds of records over the last month or so.
“He looks confident, he’s got that ruthless streak and Villa look like they’re about to tie him up at the peak of his career, which is great to see.”
With two years remaining on his contract at Aston Villa, pinning Watkins down to a new long-term deal could be central to Emery’s plans in the West Midlands.
The striker has moved from strength to strength since being given sole responsibility of the starting jersey at Aston Villa and Ings was given the green light to join West Ham in the winter window, and there could be further heights to reach if he can continue his rich vein of form.
In other Aston Villa news, Unai Emery might have a new star on the block after an injury expert shared news on a first-team ace.