Unai Emery makes 'strange' Ollie Watkins claim as Aston Villa heroics continue
Ollie Watkins reminded everyone of his goal-scoring ability in Aston Villa's win over Chelsea.
Unai Emery has masterminded Aston Villa's record-equalling run, which has seen Villa claim 11 wins on the bounce in all competitions.
The latest came against Chelsea on 27 December, in which an Watkins double saw Aston Villa win 2-1 at Stamford Bridge.
However, Arsenal can stop Villa setting a new club record for wins on Tuesday, as they welcome their former manager and his side to the Emirates in a monumental Premier League clash.
Emery makes double-edged Ollie Watkins admission
Before his second-half brace at Stamford Bridge, Watkins had only bagged three goals in the Premier League this season.
But his heroic performance ensured a clear message was sent that he still means business, and reignited the debate over whether Watkins should back up Harry Kane for England at the World Cup.
Many fans have speculated as to why Watkins has not routinely been at his deadly goalscoring best so far this season, and Emery may have provided the answer to that.
Writing in the print edition of the Daily Mail on Tuesday, Tom Collomosse said: "Emery revealed earlier this month that Watkins had been carrying a knee problem since the start of last season and, although the manager said he would not need surgery, he admitted Watkins might need a rest to ease the pain.
"It seemed a strange admission to make. First, revealing a weakness to opponents, and second, risking affecting his transfer value. Yet it served another purpose.
"Emery was telling the world Watkins was not operating at 100 per cent and that this should be factored into judgements."
Watkins' season in numbers
So, Emery has confessed that Watkins has been carrying an injury problem for well over a year, which would go a long way to explaining his struggles this season.
But, just how much has his impact been limited by this problem?
As per FotMob, Watkins is averaging 2.27 shots per 90 minutes so far this term, which is a reduction from his 2.90 per game from last season.
- Watkins has made 250 appearances for Aston Villa in all competitions, scoring 92 goals
- He's only ever failed to score less than 16 goals in one season during his time with Villa, that was in 2021-22, when he scored 11
- Watkins is currently averaging his worst rating per game as a Villa player in 2025-26, with an average score of 6.6/10
He's also scoring at a rate of 0.34 goals per 90, which is considerably less than his 0.55 record last year.
On the brighter side, though, Watkins still ranks in the top 13.3 percentile of Premier League strikers in 2025-26 for chances created (11), the top 6.7 percentile for touches in the opposition box (82) and 11.1 percentile for successful dribbles (15).
Emery's reveal is a double-edged sword for Aston Villa, as on the one hand, it provides some clarification as to why Watkins' form has dipped.
On the other hand, it potentially suggests that Villa may not have their star striker firing on all cylinders at any point this season, which could have huge implications on their title credentials.
Let's hope he can leave it behind him with more goals at Arsenal.
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