Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa has insisted that it’s important for the club that Ollie Watkins signs a new contract to extend his stay.
The 27-year-old’s current deal runs until June 2025, but speculation has been ongoing for some time now that talks have been taking place, but as of yet, the two parties haven’t been able to reach an agreement on new terms.
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While it isn’t too concerning at this stage as he still has some time left on his current deal, the closer we get to Watkins being in his final year, it’s inevitable that the level of concern will increase.
In turn, as echoed by Konsa while speaking to the media in our pre-Zrinjski press conference on Wednesday, it’s important that an agreement is struck, and Watkins is able to commit his long-term future to Villa, just as so many of our other key players have done in recent times.
“I’ve known Ollie for quite some time now, played with him at Brentford as well,” he told reporters, as per The Athletic. “I always knew how good he was. And when we signed him here, I was over the moon.
“I knew what he could bring to the team. And it’s clear to see what he brings to the team on match days. He scored a hat-trick on the weekend, scored against Chelsea and hopefully, he can continue that form and continue to help the team.
“I think for the club is really important (he signs a new contract). He scores goals for us, he wins us games. And to have him extend his contract here will be really important for us.”
Watkins has now scored 50 goals and provided 16 assists in 127 appearances for Villa since joining us from Brentford in 2020, and particularly under Unai Emery, he has taken his game to the next level and is undoubtedly one of our most influential players.
Having returned to goalscoring form over the past week, he’ll not only be hoping that he can fire us to success this season, but that it also results in a return to the England squad, and so perhaps those factors will come into play in his thinking as he continues to discuss a new deal with the club.
Emery has consistently praised Watkins for his approach and effort in training and his impact in games, and so it’s clear that all concerned at Villa want him to commit and sign a new contract. With Konsa emphasising that point this week, we hope that there is official news on the matter coming relatively soon.