According to a report from Birmingham Live, Aston Villa forward Ollie Watkins is being tipped for a new contract. It is understood that the 27-year-old’s contract at Villa Park is set to expire in the summer of 2025, and Arsenal are keeping tabs on him over a potential move at the end of this season.
Watkins’ Impressive Run Of Form For Aston Villa So Far This Season
Watkins made an average start to this campaign as he has struggled to be prolific in front of the opposition goal. Still, the English attacker is in the best form of his career after Unai Emery’s arrival at Aston Villa. He has banged in ten goals and secured five assists in 29 matches for the Villans this season across various competitions.
The Torquay-born talent has caught the eye in recent weeks by averaging 2.2 shots and 0.9 key passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League. However, he has been guilty of being a bit untidy with his link-up play in the final third, as evidenced by his pass success rate of 70.6% in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
Should Emery Hand Him A New Contract?
Watkins can use his quickness and agility to make some decent runs with the ball down the middle, and he is proficient at creating space to get a few shots in on the target. He usually operates as a centre-forward but remains versatile enough to fill in as a wide player on either flank if his manager tells him to do so.
The English striker can engineer some decent openings for others around him but can be a bit wasteful at times with his decision-making in the final third.
At the moment, Watkins remains an integral member of Unai Emery‘s squad at Villa Park and seems to have his form for the Villans as of late. Thus, Emery should consider keeping hold of him beyond next summer, as he still has what it takes to become a prolific goal-scorer for them when he hits his peak over the next couple of years.
