Aston Villa must cling onto 100% Ollie Watkins for long time after draw v Bournemouth
Aston Villa must do all they can to hang on to Ollie Watkins in January after his 100% display against Bournemouth, with Arsenal reportedly interested in bringing him to The Emirates.
The Daily Mail [30 November] reported Watkins is one of three strikers on Arsenal’s list to add more firepower to their attack after his eight goals and six assists in 14 games so far this season.
Watkins is also a self-confessed Arsenal fan, having revealed in 2020 while playing for Brentford that is his dream to play for the North London side one day, which could leave Villa nervous about his future.
His performance against Bournemouth on 3 December would have done little to calm those nerves as he showed once again the impact he has on Unai Emery’s side, scoring a late equaliser to earn a point in what proved to be a difficult trip to the South Coast.
BBC pundit Garth Crooks labelled Watkins “sensational” in his team of the week article [BBC Sport, 4 December], writing: “His goal against Bournemouth was a sensational header.
“The ball was behind him but the England international worked so hard to position his body in order to direct the ball goalward and got his reward with a superb equaliser with minutes left to play.”
Watkins picked up a goal and an assist in the 2-2 draw, proving once again how important he is for Villa with his impact in the final third often proving the difference between a defeat and a result in these tight games.
The striker played two key passes, from one of which he earned his assist, attempted three dribbles and completed 100% of his attempted crosses. His six duels won from 14 attempts showed how he tried to make life difficult for the defenders while earning one foul to ease the pressure on his team. [Sofascore]
Overall this season, Watkins has averaged 2.9 shots per game with 1.3 of those hitting the target and an impressive shot conversion rate of 20% which has seen him find the back of the net eight times in fourteen games.
His mixture of one headed goal, three from his left foot and four from his right foot shows his ability to mix things up which can cause havoc for defenders while averaging 1.6 key passes per game as his influence goes beyond just goalscoring. [Sofascore]
It is clear to see why Arsenal would be targeting him to improve their title challenge, but Aston Villa must do all they can to hand onto him to keep their hopes of a high league finish and European football alive.
In other Aston Villa news, a pundit has speculated behind-the-scenes talks between Emery and one player.