In a recent edition of Simon Phillips’ podcast, the journalist revealed that Aston Villa striker is on the radar of Chelsea. Phillips said,
“Dusan Vlahovic was obviously looked at in the summer.
“He’s still there. Jonathan David from Lille. And the last one is Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.
“Those are the names that I’ve been given this week that Chelsea are considering for the January window.”
Watkins’ Decent Start To This Premier League Season
Watkins has made a great start to this campaign after putting in a handful of impressive displays as the focal point of Unai Emery’s attack. The English sensation has banged in three goals and picked up a couple of assists in six matches for the Villans this season in multiple competitions.
The 27-year-old has led the line well for the West Midlands club based on his average of 2.5 shots, 2.0 key passes and 0.5 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He was even accurate when distributing the ball in the opponent’s half as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 81.8% in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
Can Aston Villa Boss Unai Emery Afford To Lose Watkins?
Watkins can create a yard of space for himself to get a few strikes in on-target. He can be a good finisher in front of the opponent’s goal when he is playing well on the pitch. Watkins mainly functions as a centre-forward but can also fill in as a wide player on either flank if required.
The English talent can even set up a few promising chances for others around him on the attacking end of the field. He is also quite clever when making runs in behind the opposition backline.
Hence, Aston Villa boss Unai Emery simply cannot afford to lose Watkins next year. He remains one of the most reliable players in the Villans‘ squad.
Thus, the West Midlands club would be wise not to entertain any offers for their star striker until at least the end of this campaign. He is good enough to help Aston Villa challenge for a top-eight finish in the Premier League this season. Hence, losing Watkins would be a big blow which the Villans might struggle to recover from in the future.
