Aston Villa reportedly do not intend on selling Ollie Watkins this summer, amid speculation linking the forward with a move to Al Hilal.
The 30-year-old joined us from Brentford in 2020, and he has since gone on to score 108 goals and provide 47 assists in 278 appearances for the club.
In turn, he has been a decisive figure in our progress and success during that period, particularly since Unai Emery was appointed, and it will certainly be a difficult task to replace him for the long-term when that time comes.
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Despite speculation over interest in the England international, that time seemingly won’t come this summer, as The Athletic report that while Villa are aware of interest from Al Hilal, Watkins is said to be staying at the club as he remains a key part of Emery’s plans for the upcoming season.
Given we have already sold Youri Tielemans, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and potentially Emiliano Martinez next already this summer, that will come as a relief to many, as we surely need to keep part of our core in place as we rebuild and try to begin a new cycle of progress and success with a younger squad.
With his experience and quality, Watkins will be a fundamental part of that if he can continue the form he has shown under Emery, albeit Brian Madjo has shown this summer that he could be the long-term answer when we decide to move Watkins on.
Nevertheless, for the short-term future, it’s imperative that we keep the Villa frontman at the club for at least one more season to continue to lead the line in the effective way that he does with Madjo learning from him this year and continuing his development as a cover option, and so this stance hopefully stands through to the end of the window and he remains with us next month and beyond.