Villa boss Emery issues hands off warning to Watkins suitors

Ollie Watkins scored a hat-trick for Aston Villa in a 6-1 thrashing of Brighton | IMago

PREMIER LEAGUE Villa boss Emery issues hands off warning to Watkins suitors

Mark Kinyanjui 14:30 - 16.04.2023

Watkins has been linked with a move to a top caliber side in recent months, with Arsenal among the teams rumored to be interested in his signature.

Aston Villa head coach Unai Emery has insisted that the club want to keep hold of Olie Watkins by any means necessary in order to help the club achieve its objectives under his tutelage.

The England international striker has been in lethal form for Villa this season, scoring 11 premier league goals so far this calendar year.

In the aftermath of Villa’s 3-0 win over Newcastle United, a game where Watkins totally tormented the Magpies defence, scoring twice and assisting once, Emery said that the club wanted to keep him by any means necessary.

“"He’s very professional and he likes to work every day more than the team is doing", he said,”"we want to keep him."

Watkins now looks every inch the ideal Premier League center-forward he has always threatened to become.

Watkins gave a complete performance for a striker at Villa Park on Saturday. He dropped deep to link the play, dashed in behind for balls over the top and drifted into the channels. 

Watkins would have had a hat-trick before his goals were it not for the spidery legs of Nick Pope, which denied two of his fierce efforts, and his own knobbly knee, which protruded the wrong side of the VAR line.

Watkins’ tenth goal in his last 12 games illustrated perfectly his complete dominance of the Newcastle defenders. 

He came off Fabian Schar and the backline to play Emi Buendia’s pass into John McGinn, then moved away from the center-backs in the penalty area, and with his back to goal, controlled, swiveled and shot past Pope with Dan Burn at his back.

Watkins has been linked with a move to a top caliber side in recent months, with league leaders Arsenal among the teams rumored to be interested in the Torquay-born striker.

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