Collymore hits out at what Aston Villa fans have said about Watkins - 'Anomaly'

Stan Collymore has been baffled by calls for Aston Villa to sell Ollie Watkins after Jhon Duran's impressive start to the season.

The young, Colombian striker has stolen the spotlight at Villa Park, notching 12 goals across all competitions, but his teammate still boasts 10 goals and seven assists.

With Watkins leading the Premier League list for most big chances missed this season [FotMob], supporters have become frustrated with his performances, maybe unfairly.

Speaking live via talkSPORT [24 January, 2:41pm], Collymore said: "Ollie Watkins, baring in mind how many goal involvements he's had at Villa - 99, is that Villa fans, once Duran scored his goals earlier in the season, were wanting to get rid of Watkins.

"Watkins has never been universally loved at Villa but the last player to have 100 goal involvements in a similar amount of games was Kevin de Bruyne back in 2020. So, whether you're looking at assists or goals, he's an elite-level footballer.

"It's just an odd anomaly that Villa fans have taken to him but they're never going to put him in the same category as Peter Withe, Gary Shaw, Dwight Yorke, and that likes."

Ollie Watkins to make way for Jhon Duran at Aston Villa?

Duran has announced himself to the Villans in an extremely exciting way, which is bound to shift the focus away from Watkins, but it seems a little unfair after the impact he's had in recent seasons.

While the 29-year-old does miss too many chances, just like Erling Haaland at Manchester City and Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson, he still has 69 Premier League goals across the last five seasons.

It seems strange to be talking about potentially selling the England international, but if his staying at Villa Park forces Duran to leave, Unai Emery has a difficult decision to make.

If he were to leave Villa, it is almost impossible to see him anywhere else in the Premier League, suggesting that a move abroad would be the likely outcome should Villa choose Duran's future instead.

Watkins has given so much during his near-five years at Villa Park but many stories have to come to an end.

In other Aston Villa news, Celtic fans 'will be in the Villa end' as Gabby Agbonlahor makes a new ticketing claim.

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