According to Football Insider, Chelsea are keen on signing Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins ahead of the next season. The former club are even ready to offer Conor Gallagher plus cash to acquire the services of the striker in the summer.
Ollie Watkins inspired Aston Villa to fourth position
Ollie Watkins has been an integral part of Aston Villa since signing for them from Brentford in the summer of 2020. He emerged as a reliable name on the team sheet, all thanks to his consistently impressive performances on the field.
Watkins made his presence felt as he helped the Villans secure a Champions League berth for next season. He featured in 53 games, netting 27 goals and providing 13 assists. He averaged 2.7 shots, 1.2 key passes, and 0.7 dribbles per game (stats via whoscored).
The English international is an aggressive-minded striker who makes runs behind the defenders. He creates spaces for his teammates and is also clinical with his finishes. Though he isn’t the tallest, he scores headers due to his intelligent positioning.
Letting go of Conor Gallagher makes sense
Chelsea surely need an effective striker upfront if they wish to fight for trophies next season. Though they have Nicholas Jackson, he wasn’t convincing enough last season. Hence, the club cannot risk to commit another season with him.
The Blues want to bring Ollie Watkins to their unit as he is an experienced campaigner. His intelligence and finishing in the final third will help the side secure more goals. As he is at the peak of his powers, one can expect him to make an instant impact.
However, Chelsea aren’t willing to spend big on the striker as they have other positions to bolster. Hence, they are ready to offer Conor Gallagher plus cash to sign the 28-year-old. It makes sense as the former has been linked to an exit for some time.
Gallagher has a year left on his contract and as the two parties aren’t willing to extend the stay, it would be better to use him in the deal.
