Ollie Watkins exit claim made at Aston Villa as £90m Arsenal transfer touted
Don Goodman insists there is no reason for Ollie Watkins to leave Aston Villa this summer, with Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool the only teams he would likely consider joining.
Watkins is coming off the back of another hugely impressive Premier League campaign for the Villans in which he scored 19 goals and was named in the PFA Team of the Season.
The England international also performed well when called upon at Euro 2024, inevitably leading to talk of a possible move away, but Goodman can only see a few teams realistically proving on a par with Villa in terms of a career move for Watkins.
And if one of those, such as Arsenal, intend to make a move in the next nine days, Goodman has predicted it will take a fee upwards of £90million.
“I think that if you’re a club interested in Ollie Watkins, the minute you find out the price your mind is going to be blown because the only way you get him away from Aston Villa is by offering huge money,” he exclusively told Villa News.
“If you’re Ollie Watkins, guaranteed starts in the Premier League and Champions League, the only reason you’ll leave is to go to another Champions League club. That leaves just Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool.
“Would he be a priority for any of those clubs for what he’ll cost? With Dominic Solanke going to Tottenham for £65million, we’re talking £80-90m for Watkins. That’s where clubs will just accept that’s too much.
“It’s win-win for Watkins because if any of those top clubs show an interest in him, great, but otherwise he’s loved by the Villa faithful, he’s loved by Unai Emery, he’s guaranteed starts and has Champions League football to look forward to. There are not many – if any – better places for him right now than Aston Villa.”
Ollie Watkins can have best season yet for Aston Villa
Watkins was far from his best in the opening-day 2-1 win at West Ham United, but that was entirely understandable.
Indeed, it was a shock that he was even included in the starting line-up on the back of featuring for England in the Euros final a little over a month ago.
As Goodman says, the only logical move for Watkins to make this summer if a bid was to be made is to another team competing in the Champions League.
But even then, he may not be guaranteed starts in the same way he is under Unai Emery at Aston Villa, where he is undoubtedly the main man.
Talk of the prolific striker moving on has not really come to much this summer thanks to his long-term contract, but it may be something that becomes more of a worry next year.
For now, let’s just hope Watkins enjoys his best season yet at Villa Park. With the additions made so far, there is no reason why that cannot be the case.
In other Aston Villa news, a Villa player looks set to move to another Premier League club imminently.
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