Unai Emery reveals what Ollie Watkins told him about Arsenal transfer interest
Unai Emery has confirmed Ollie Watkins has told him he is happy to stay at Aston Villa despite interest from Arsenal with a few days of the winter window remaining.
The Gunners lodged a bid for the striker on Monday, though it was reportedly only £45m and not the £60m quoted initially. However, the news of Arsenal's bid was leaked hours before Villa's crucial Champions League clash against Celtic on Wednesday evening.
Watkins showed no signs of his head being turned as he recorded two assists and also scored to put Villa back in front at 3-2 following a rapid brace from Adam Idah before the break. Before Villa's clash against Wolves on Saturday and the window closing at 11pm on Monday, Emery was asked about Watkins' mindset following Arsenal's bid for his services.
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"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."
Asked if Watkins has told Emery he is happy to stay, the Villa boss responded: "Yes, he is happy to stay. We asked him how he is feeling and he is happy here."
