What the future holds for Ollie Watkins after Aston Villa rejected Arsenal transfer bid
Aston Villa emphatically rejected Arsenal’s approach for Ollie Watkins at the start of last week, before the window slammed shut on Monday.
To the frustration of Villa officials, the news of Arsenal’s bid came just hours before Villa’s crucial Champions League league phase clash against Celtic. It was initially being reported that their bid for Watkins was £60m, but it was quickly known that the Gunners had only lodged a looser offer of around £45m.
How Arsenal thought they’d be able to sign one of Premier League’s top strikers for £20m less than they paid for Kai Havertz is anyone’s guess, especially as Villa were selling Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr.
READ MORE: What Unai Emery told Donyell Malen after leaving him out of Villa's Champions League squad
READ MORE: Explained: Why five places have been left in Aston Villa's Champions League squad
READ | Morgan Rogers issues Marcus Rashford 'damage' warning ahead of Tottenham
READ | Sir Alex Ferguson has already given Marcus Rashford viral Aston Villa verdict
Perhaps if Arsenal made a reasonable offer for Watkins at the start of January, it would have given something for Villa to think about before they received a huge bid for Duran and decided to let the 21-year-old go. Watkins is known to be an Arsenal supporter and reports indicated that he would have been open to a move, though there hasn’t been any suggestions that he agitated to leave or that he won’t be 100 per cent focused on playing a key role for the club moving forward.
Unai Emery was asked about Watkins in the press conference before Villa’s trip to Wolves last weekend and the Villa boss made it clear his striker confirmed how happy he is at the club.
"The commitment of Watkins is really a huge commitment to defend Aston Villa," Emery explained. "He appreciates how Aston Villa was always supporting him and helping him. Also, when we joined two years ago, how we always tried to get the best of him. Now we need him, like he needed Aston Villa in the last years. The conversation we are having usually is about how he is always adapting to every circumstance.
"When some teams are calling us being interested in the players, it is good for us and the players. Some players prefer to leave and some players accept to stay here and commit to Aston Villa and compete for our challenges. One of them is Ollie Watkins."
Come the summer, there could be more speculation about Watkins’ future considering top centre-forwards are a rarity these days. After selling Duran, Villa have more flexibility regarding the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), but that doesn’t mean Monchi wouldn’t be tempted to cash in if a huge offer landed for one of Emery’s players.
Emery has a big say in terms of who leaves and who joins his squad, but is also aware of the strain caused by PSR if he wants to spend money in the market. Watkins, however, is a vital element of his team.
Few clubs only stock one out in out number nine in their squad, at least at the top level. Watkins durability and consistency across a season is something which would be very difficult to replace. Villa would likely have to buy two new strikers if they were to sell Watkins.
Few expected Villa to let go of the number of players they did in January and also sign five, but Monchi explained his stance on player turnover after the end of the last summer window.
"If we want to be in the top we need to sell, 100 per cent,” he said. “The most important thing is not selling players - the most important thing is to buy good."
Amid interest from Arsenal in Watkins last week, Emery said: “I don't want [to sell]. It is good news to have offers from other clubs. We want to keep our sporting objective through the players we have in the squad. Every player can be in the market if it is good for the player and the club. To get this deal we are going to be demanding. Watkins is our striker."
