Ollie Watkins

[Dave]

If it wasn't for the VAR lines of doom, and losing Jack for so long I reckon he'd have easily got 20 goals. With some improvements around him next season the sky is the limit.

That's actually a really good point.  Any other season he's getting pretty close to 20. Which for a forward who doesn't take penalties is ridiculously good (not that we get many!).  The only players above him in the scoring charts who aren't their teams designated penalty taker is Son and Calvert-Lewin.

Although to throw a teeny bit of shade on it, he might well have been our designated penalty taker and scored those extra goals had he not ballsed up the opportunity he had to become so.

[algy]

also imagine if he had Grealish playing all season, Barkley on some decent form consistently and decent wide players?

he'd have got 25 easily.

Imagine if the woodwork had been kinder ... that'd have taken him to 21 on its own.

Love Ollie Watkins.  Wouldn't swap him for any other striker in the league.

[Footy-Vill]

also imagine if he had Grealish playing all season, Barkley on some decent form consistently and decent wide players?

he'd have got 25 easily.

Imagine if the woodwork had been kinder ... that'd have taken him to 21 on its own.

Love Ollie Watkins.  Wouldn't swap him for any other striker in the league.

He's key to our progress and the drop down to the next strike is vast. Watkins outstanding season only getting better.
Added that it's imperative to sign another striker of quality  such as Abraham.  Because outside of Watkins  -Davis and Wes can't be relied upon for plethora for goals

[eamonn]

Most league goals by an English Villa player since Jools Joachim. I thought Dion was our Messiah for a while...did he not even have one very good season for us? Disappointing.

And his punditry is too...jovial for me (at least he doesn't laugh as manically as Micah, I guess).

[Smithy]

Thinking back to last summer, how many of us would have predicted 16 goals and an England call-up for Ollie?

I for one certainly wouldn't.  I'd have to back and look, but given the season we'd just come off, double-figures in all comps would have been a good result.

He's been brilliant, way better than I thought he'd be and could go on to be a big star in the premier league for another 6 or 7 years.

[Ian.]

Love this from Spink

https://twitter.com/nigel_spink/status/1396862161897537542?s=21

[kippaxvilla2]

You have to laugh at the desperation.  From ESL contenders to European Conference League.

Should Tottenham cash in on the wantaway 27-year-old, they will pull out all the stops to land a quality replacement, and while Villa would not be to let Watkins go, a juicy bid could force them to sell, especially if he tells them he is keen on such move.

[Abbeyfealeavfc]

Spurs "hatching" a plan involving Ollie, if Kane goes is laughable.
It's nearly as laughable as small heath deciding to hatch a plan to acquire him. Spurs are a joke club. I suppose if they've still got Onomah (or equivalent) they'll throw him in as part of the deal.
I see the biased media are still doing the work of the scab 6 in the speculation they keep regurgitating.
Son to the Villa for £20m and we'll throw in Kalanic maybe the real story!
 

[Monty]

Put it this way: if they sell Jack and Ollie they might as well fire Dean, because that's the team basically gone and we'd be starting again from scratch.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

Arsenal supporting Ollie wants to join Spurs? Somehow I just don't see it. Still, if it makes them feel better about themselves let them dream. It must be tough right now being a Spurs fan.

[supertom]

I do love how we'd be apparently incapable of fighting off bids from Spurs, a club that's in a state, just finished 7th, have an immunity to winning trophies, and failed dismally after a summer chasing our Jack.
Arsenal and Spurs, the state they're in are there for the taking. We look like we have our shit together, and there are solid foundations to build on, a good stream of young talent coming through and a balance to the squad. Spurs trade off a reputation they've rarely lived up to, outside of some years of glamour (and winning things many moons ago) but they're distant memories. We're among 3-4 clubs who should be taking the sword to them next season, a lot of which will rest on our respective summer windows.

Spurs taking Watkins like stealing candy from a baby though? Jog on. Our players seem keen to be part of this project, the owners seem to have a good ethos, and we've absolutely no financial need to cash in. I certainly don't see Watkins giving up an all but guaranteed starting spot, in a front line where he's the fulcrum, to be a rotation player at a 'bigger' club.

[KevinGage]

Devil's advocate, but if what if we banked north of £60 million for Ollie and brought Tammy Abraham back for £40 million or under?

[Ads]

How about we keep Watkins, sign Tammy and Spurs continue to be fuck all but noise on the breeze.

[LeeB]

The only player I can think of that Spurs 'took' from us was Steve Hodge, and they were fucking welcome to him.

[Toronto Villa]

I watched the Brentford game today, and while Toney no doubt is a very good finisher, maybe better than Ollie, what he doesn’t come close to is how much Ollie works off the ball. Ollie will not give a CB a moments rest. A much better all round player