Ollie Watkins Next Club Odds: After Aston Villa

Ollie Watkins might have expressed frustration at his limited game time at different parts of the season, but he is still odds-on with the bookmakers to remain at Villa Park. There are probably two key factors that feed into that thinking.

Firstly, Villa have missed out on Champions League football after losing to Manchester United on the final day of the season; that severely limits the club’s ability to reinvent their squad.

Watkins could, of course, be seen as a sellable asset but it’s largely a pointless sale if they then have to go and spend the same or more on a ready-made replacement. The lack of Champions League football then hampers discussions with any potential replacements as well.

The second factor is whether or not any club will lay down enough money to tempt Villa to sell Watkins. We’ve already outlined the fact Villa will need to bring in new attacking options. This means securing top dollar will be of vital importance.

Watkins, whilst a proven goalscorer at Premier League level, will turn 30 years old before the season is out, so won’t have any resale value for a buying club.

Arsenal are crying out for a striker and are the most fancied destination for Watkins should he leave Villa Park. It’s not a connection that particularly excites us from a value perspective, though.

For starters, the Gunners are much more heavily linked with younger attackers like Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko, who are perceived to offer a higher ceiling.

You also have to consider that there are widespread reports of Watkins having been offered to Mikel Arteta’s side in the January window. If the North London club didn’t fancy him at that stage, then it is highly likely they’re not going to go back in for him in a summer market.

Suggesting Watkins would move to a Saudi Arabian club 12 months ago would have seemed bonkers. Now, it feels less so, although we’re still not convinced it is a move that will happen.

Aston Villa have already proven they’re happy to do business with clubs in Saudi, having sold Jhon Duran to Al Nassr earlier this season. It’s highly plausible they’re the only clubs that are happy to stump up big money for Watkins given his age. Why that sort of move would appeal to Villa and those in Saudi is obvious. The question mark is the player.

Thomas Tuchel opting to bring Ivan Toney into his recent England squad, though, might mean Watkins gives the move more than a split-second thought. In Toney, who plays for Al Ahli, and former teammate Duran, Watkins has people he can reach out to in order to understand the standard and lifestyle.

Newcastle are in the market for attacking reinforcements this summer as they look to bolster their squad ahead of a Champions League campaign.

Alexander Isak is their main man, though, and isn’t likely to be on the move given the fact that Eddie Howe’s men secured a top-five finish. That means Watkins would again be in a position where he would be spending notable time on the bench,

Combine that with the transfer fee likely to be needed to extract Watkins, as well as Villa's reluctance to strengthen a main rival, and we just don’t see this deal stacking up.