Aston Villa: ‘Unreal’ info proves Ollie Watkins is best goalscorer in Premier League
A statistic has emerged that lends credibility to the argument that Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is the Premier League’s best goalscorer at present.
Watkins currently sits third in the division’s scoring charts on 19 league goals, one behind joint leaders Erling Haaland and Cole Palmer – the latter charging to the summit off the back of a four-goal haul against Everton last time out.
However, there is a case to be made that the Villa striker’s haul is more impressive than that of his counterparts following a post by journalist Dan Bardell on social media pointing out that Watkins has not taken a single penalty this term.
Bardell wrote on X: “Gentle reminder to World when analysing the Premier League top scorers chart. Ollie Watkins hasn’t taken a single penalty or set piece. Unreal record.”
Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has been lethal this season
When removing penalties from the equation, Watkins stands alone as the leading scorer in the Premier League this season.
Haaland’s four converted spot-kicks – out of five – see his tally drop to 16 non-penalty goals, while Palmer has netted nine times from the spot, with his non-penalty total standing at a much more modest 11 [FBref].
The Villa talisman’s closest challengers in the division are Haaland and Bournemouth centre-forward Dominic Solanke, who has netted just one of his 17 league strikes from the spot.
What makes Watkins’ record even more admirable is the fact that he also ranks joint-top in the Premier League for assists with 10, level with Newcastle United full-back Kieran Trippier and Brighton midfielder Pascal Gross.
Only Palmer can match the 28-year-old’s total of 29 direct goal contributions in the division this season and, even then, has required nine penalties to do so compared to Watkins’ none.
A great many individuals deserve praise for Villa’s unexpected top-four tilt – they sit fourth on 63 points, having played one game more than fifth-placed Tottenham, who are three points further back on 60 – but if they pull off Champions League qualification against the odds, Watkins will have earned a larger slice of the acclaim than most.
In other Aston Villa news, Ben Foster has been blown away by Boubacar Kamara despite a “horrible” development.
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