Aston Villa may have Ollie Watkins successor in next Luis Suarez
Corinthians striker Yuri Alberto has expressed his admiration for Ollie Watkins at Aston Villa.
The Brazil international likes watching the England international play, as his style suits how the Lions play under Unai Emery.
Watkins was heavily linked with an exit from Villa Park in the summer, but he ended up staying in B6.
Emery wanted Monchi to sign a striker in August, and it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Spanish manager reiterate that demand in the winter transfer window.
Yuri Alberto wants European transfer amid Aston Villa admiration
Alberto hopes to play in the Champions League one day as he continues to develop at Corinthians.
The 24-year-old’s dream is to return to European football after his short stint with Zenit Saint Petersburg in the 2021-22 season.
During the Brazilian’s young age in the Santos academy, he was compared to Liverpool and Barcelona icon Luis Suarez, and has now revealed his admiration for Watkins at Villa.
Speaking to AS on 21 November about the players he can be compared to, Albero said: “When I played in Santos’ youth academy, people said I had a similar style to Suarez. They called me ‘Yurisito’ after ‘Lucho’. I really like Watkins from Villa. I really like his style. Villa’s style is also very transitional, and he’s very fast, attacks space well and finishes very well.”
Amid interest from teams in England, the striker added: “My biggest dream is to return to Europe and, God willing, play in the Champions League.”
Watkins has seen his form dip at Villa Park this season, and it may be time for the Lions to plan for his successor.
- Read More: Villa could call quits on Guessand transfer experiment in January as update drops from AC Milan
Yuri Alberto record speaks for itself at Corinthians
Villa are in talks to sign new strikers for Emery in January, and the recruitment team should definitely have a look at Alberto.
The Brazilian national ended the 2024 season as the top goalscorer in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A with 15 goals, ahead of Estevao, who’s now thriving at Chelsea.
| Appearances | Goals | Assists | Minutes played |
| 52 | 18 | 2 | 3676 |
Alberto has continued his fine form in 2025, scoring 10 goals in 24 league appearances for a team that sits ninth in the table.
While there haven’t been any links with the centre-forward, Roberto Olabe should gather information on him after replacing Monchi at Villa Park.
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