Aston Villa: Teams already ‘sniffing around’ Villa Park for Ollie Watkins summer transfer
Aston Villa will face a battle to keep Ollie Watkins at Villa Park during the summer transfer window as teams will already be “sniffing around” the striker, according to Alan Hutton.
The England international has been in excellent form for Unai Emery’s side this season, scoring 13 goals and laying on a further 10 assists for his teammates in 25 Premier League games to propel Villa into the fight for the Champions League.
Despite Watkins’ impressive start to the season, the 28-year-old managed to dodge most of the transfer speculation in January, with fellow forward Jhon Duran the player linked with a move away from Villa Park towards the end of the window.
While Hutton expects that to change come the end of the season, he has predicted that Watkins will reject any transfer that came his way in the summer to instead remain part of the current project under Emery’s management.
“I think he always will attract interest to be honest,” Hutton told Villa News.
“I think every team is on the lookout for strikers that can score goals and they’re going to be inconsistent at times, it’s part of playing in that position, you’re not going to score every single week.
“I’m sure there will be people sniffing about him but I think he’s happy where he is though, I think he’s happy with the project and the way that things are going.
“He knows that he’s needed there and that he’s loved there so why would you want to leave something that’s progressing forwards, so I hope he stays.”
Will Ollie Watkins transfer away from Aston Villa this summer?
While you can never say never in football, it does seem likely that Watkins would be happy to remain at Villa Park beyond the end of the season as things seem to be progressing in the right direction under Emery’s management.
The 28-year-old knows that when he is fit and available, he will start week in and week out for the Spaniard, a guarantee that is unlikely to follow him if he were to complete a switch to one of the big six Premier League sides.
If Villa can maintain their excellent form and book their place in next season’s Champions League as well, Watkins will have even less of an incentive to force a move elsewhere. Villa just have to do all that they can to keep their talisman in the Midlands for as long as possible.
In other Aston Villa news, Hutton has responded to Gary Neville’s recent top-four pressure verdict at Villa Park
For more Aston Villa news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.
Pundit makes Ollie Watkins summer exit prediction at Aston Villa