As reported this week, Arsenal had a £60 million bid for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins rejected. Controversy arose surrounding the bid, as it came just hours prior to Villa's crucial Champions League fixture against Celtic.
Fortunately for Unai Emery's side, they were able to come away with a 4-2 victory, with the Englishman himself getting on the scoresheet with a 60th-minute strike. This marked the forward's 11th goal in all competitions this season, 10 of which have come in the Premier League.
However, after striker-counterpart Jhon Duran left Villa Park to join Al-Nassr for £71 million this week, the potential sale of Watkins seems a long way from viable, as only Donyell Malen would remain as an option up top if the 29-year-old were to depart. Furthermore, Watkins was also forced off injured in his side-s 2-0 away loss to Wolves at the weekend, casting more doubt over any potential move the Gunners may wish to make.
Although Mikel Arteta's side are the only team in the race for the player's signature, Villa value him at over £80 million in the current market. It remains to be seen whether the Arsenal hierarchy would sanction such an expensive transfer when considering the club's spending over the two seasons. However, there is no doubt that he would certainly be an improvement on the forward players currently populating their squad.
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Publicly revealed as the club he supported while growing up, Arsenal are priced at 2/1 to get a move for the former Brentford striker completed before the end of the January transfer window. With Gabriel Jesus injured and Kai Havertz's eight goals this season being deemed insufficient, it has become clear that Arteta is in search of an elite striker to really take the Gunners to the next level.
Watkins fits the bill perfectly, having demonstrated outstanding quality last season by scoring 27 goals in 53 games in all competitions. 19 goals and 13 assists in the league showed that Watkins is not only clinical, but can create goals as well, registering 0.36 assists per 90 minutes, in the top 4% of the division's forwards. He also created 1.26 chances per game, another indication of the Englishman's versatility, as he is able to perform in multiple capacities and roles.
He has continued his excellent run this season, contributing to 21 goals across all competitions and seeing his Villa side into the top eight in the Champions League, something which they were certainly not expected to achieve.
Although Arsenal have enjoyed a good season, they remain nine points adrift of Arne Slot's Liverpool, having drawn eight of their 23 fixtures. Having scored fewer goals than both Manchester City and Chelsea and only three more than Bournemouth, it is clear that Arsenal's attack is the area in which they have lacked quality this season. Aside from Havertz, the club's second top scorer is Brazilian winger Gabriel Martinelli, who has found the net only six times.
While a deal for Watkins currently seems some way off, the Gunners would clearly benefit from his acquisition, as they are in dire need of some more firepower. It seems unlikely that they will have the capacity to catch their Merseyside rivals, but with a new striker leading the line, anything could be possible. Punters should latch onto the bookies' current 2/1 odds before Arsenal launch another formal bid for Watkins.
Lifelong Ipswich Town supporter who recently graduated from Durham University in French and German. Have developed a passion for European football based on my links abroad and am an avid supporter of Werder Bremen and Auxerre. Joined the MFT team in October 2024 and looking to take my first steps into the world of football journalism.
