Ollie Watkins Transfer Uncertainty: Villa's Star Striker Linked with Al-Hilal
Ollie Watkins could be the next big name to walk out of Aston Villa this summer, with Unai Emery unable to offer any guarantees that his main striker will stay.
The England forward is wanted by Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal and Emery has confirmed that bids are already on the table. With the window ticking into its final stretch, Villa’s Europa League-winning side is being stripped back at speed.
Villa’s core ripped apart
Ezri Konsa is heading to Arsenal in a £51m deal. Morgan Rogers has already gone to Chelsea for a staggering £117m, a record sale for Villa. Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne have also departed in a summer of relentless churn.
Now the spotlight sits on Watkins.
Emery made it clear he wants to keep him, but stopped short of any promise that the 30-year-old will still be at Villa Park when the window closes.
"We have an issue with him, it's clear. He is our player. We have had offers for him," Emery said.
"I don't want to sell him but it can change because if it's a good option for him and the club and I can replace him in the squad, this is the routine we have and we did before with the players who are leaving.
"With Ollie, he is here, for me he is a fantastic striker, we have always believed in him.
"Now he is our player, there are 10 days more or less to finish the transfer window, we will see what happens, I'm happy with him, if he is staying with us he will continue playing his level.
"If he leaving it's because it is good for three ways, one is him, another is the club and another is the team."
Watkins has been the face of Villa’s resurgence under Emery. Signed from Brentford for £28m in 2020, he has scored 108 goals for the club and stands as their record Premier League marksman. Losing him now would cut straight through the heart of Emery’s attack.
If Watkins goes, and if Emi Martinez also finds a way out, Villa will have sold six members of the starting XI that lifted the Europa League just two months ago. That is not a refresh. That is a rebuild.
Martinez future still clouded
For now, Martinez remains a Villa player, but his own situation is hardly settled. A move to Juventus collapsed after the clubs failed to agree a fee, yet the World Cup winner has already signalled his desire to explore a new challenge.
Villa have acted decisively in that position, bringing in Japan international Zion Suzuki from Parma for £30m as their new No.1. The message is clear: they are preparing for life after Martinez, whether it comes this month or later.
The Argentina goalkeeper will not feature in Sunday’s Premier League opener at Brighton. After a post-World Cup break, he has had only one training session back with the squad and will sit out the trip to the Amex.
Emery, though, insists he is comfortable with his options.
"We have two excellent goalkeepers, of course we signed Suzuki not for the future but for now. He showed his capacity to get his performance to our level. He will need to adapt to us but he is playing at this level.
"Martinez transmitted to us the possibility to have another challenge in his career.
"Even last year, he was thinking in case he can have one possibility to change for his challenges.
"He didn't do it last year and he performed fantastic with us. This year, again, he transmitted us the possibility to have another challenge and we decided to sign Suzuki because I think he's a fantastic goalkeeper."
So Villa head into a new Premier League season with their European champions being dismantled, their talismanic striker on the market, and their World Cup-winning goalkeeper edging towards the exit.
The project under Emery has already delivered a trophy. The question now is whether it can survive this kind of upheaval and still push forward, or whether this summer marks the breaking point of a team that rose so fast.
