Emery in dreamland as Ornstein confirms Aston Villa ‘finalising’ deal for 50-goal striker
Ollie Watkins has recently been evasive regarding his future at Aston Villa, but David Ornstein has stated the striker is ‘on the verge’ of agreeing to a new contract.
Watkins said he simply wants to let his “football do the talking” and keep off-the-pitch issues “separate” following his hat-trick against Brighton over the weekend. After rumors that he was moving closer to a new contract with Villa Park, he responded.
Currently, Watkins’ new contract with Villa is “in the process of being finalized,” according to The Athletic expert Ornstein, who also said that Watkins is “on the verge” of signing it.
His current term, which was set to expire in 2025, will be extended by three years to run until 2028 under the new agreement. Since Watkins joined Villa,
since 2020, previously playing for Exeter City and Brentford.
He has seven goals in 12 games this season, making him one of the best forwards in English football, and he recently reached 50 goals for Villa.
One of his prizes was a spot in the England team for the international matches against Australia and Italy in October, but the new club contract will also serve as a reward for his accomplishments.
deal should also cover his prime years of career given that he will be 32 by the time deal expires in June 2028, which will be a relief to Villa considering that he has previously been connected with teams like Arsenal and Chelsea.
When Watkins joined Villa, they had invested a club-record sum after paying Brentford an initial £28 million, then an additional £33 million. Even though there were some questions about the price at the time, it seems reasonable to argue that they received good value for their money from the center-forward in today’s market.
Watkins has served as Unai Emery’s primary striker, just like Dean Smith and Steven Gerrard did. Rumors have suggested that the current head coach may desire more tested competition for his number. 11, but as long as he is healthy and effective, the center-forward position shouldn’t be too problematic.