Ollie Watkins

[Percy McCarthy]

Greggggggg Evans is.convinced we’re after a top quality number 9.

[Goldenballs]

If we're going for top 6 next season then we need a new 9, harsh but true.

[Lastfootstamper]

If we're going for top 6 next season then we need a new 9, harsh but true.

We could still get 6th this season with Watkins.

[Beard82]

Id love a new number 9 - but so long as we upgrade Bailey and Beundia at the same time.

Dont think I would be sad if I never saw Bailey in a villa shirt again.  Beundia is worth keeping though

[Pete3206]

If we're going for top 6 next season then we need a new 9, harsh but true.

We could still get 6th this season with Watkins.

And I think we would have been top 6 for sure, if we'd have had Emery from the start. Definitely need additions to the forward line, but Watkins is going to be a big player next season. 

[Risso]

If we're going for top 6 next season then we need a new 9, harsh but true.

We could still get 6th this season with Watkins.

And I think we would have been top 6 for sure, if we'd have had Emery from the start. Definitely need additions to the forward line, but Watkins is going to be a big player next season. 

As he's showing at the moment though, he can't be our only striker though. The 11 goals in 12 games was amazing, but the ten games either side of that period have yielded no goals at all. Mind you, be interesting to see if he can go up a level with better players than Bailey and Buendia around him.

[Brend'Watkins]

Id love a new number 9 - but so long as we upgrade Bailey and Beundia at the same time.

Dont think I would be sad if I never saw Bailey in a villa shirt again.  Beundia is worth keeping though

Wholeheartedly agree with this. Buendia can maybe improve on his weaker points but Bailey has too many for that to happen, he’s as capable as he is incapable.

[eamonn]

There would be an element of "carrying" Watkins and Archer next season if we held onto both and our aim is top four/six. The former cos he's not a consistent goalscorer, the latter cos he's still unproven at this level. We'll likely go all out for a top striker and I'm not sure 3 into 1 will go, unless we're in Europe/one of the three can also be deployed effectively on the wing.

[not3bad]

If we're in Europe we will need more depth almost everywhere.

[Rudy Can't Fail]

The 11 goals in 12 games was amazing, but the ten games either side of that period have yielded no goals at all.

I never realised it was already 10 games. It's very Dean Smith 'feast or famine'. I expect us to certainly bring in a winger/striker, I just wonder if our budget will stretch to a goal scoring centre forward.

[RamboandBruno]

I know its probably sacrilege to say this on here but i think Archer will be sold this summer. Everyone has a massive soft spot for him, but it feels like we’ll be shopping at a different level to him. I can see him go to a club expected to compete at the top end of the championship, either Boro, or a Southampton or Leicester.

[Risso]

I know its probably sacrilege to say this on here but i think Archer will be sold this summer. Everyone has a massive soft spot for him, but it feels like we’ll be shopping at a different level to him. I can see him go to a club expected to compete at the top end of the championship, either Boro, or a Southampton or Leicester.

On the other hand, we're investing a lot of time, money and energy in youth players. If the first time one of them steps up and is a big success on loan and we then sell him, what really is the point?

[ChicagoLion]

Why would we be in a rush to sell him without giving him a chance to see what he can do in the PL?
It just makes no sense whatsoever.

[pauliewalnuts]

I know its probably sacrilege to say this on here but i think Archer will be sold this summer. Everyone has a massive soft spot for him, but it feels like we’ll be shopping at a different level to him. I can see him go to a club expected to compete at the top end of the championship, either Boro, or a Southampton or Leicester.

On the other hand, we're investing a lot of time, money and energy in youth players. If the first time one of them steps up and is a big success on loan and we then sell him, what really is the point?

You've just answered your own question - selling them on.

Archer is a great example.

Never proved himself at the top level, never had the chance, and is he going to get it with us?

We are talking about Watkins needing at the very least some serious competition, but if we say there's no point in just selling the likes of Archer, then that means that he effectively becomes the other option to Watkins. How many of us would be satisfied with that?

We could very well sell him to a newly promoted club for £20m. Given how many youth players never get near making it, that's a lot of money. We'd have taken £40m from Chuk and Archer, for example. Then the question becomes, well, what do we do, keep those two or use the 40m to buy a really high quality proven player to really improve the first team?

Chelsea have done this for years, developed young players, sent them out on loan, then either incorporate them in their first team set up or flog them for decent money without them really ever playing PL for them.

Archer, Ramsey, Philogene, Barry, Iroegbunam, Azaz etc etc - they can't all make it here.

[SamTheMouse]

That's going to be the strategy now, you'd think. Fatten up the young calves, so to speak, then sell them, which helps hugely with keeping us on the right side of FFP. If a couple of them are good enough to get into the first team squad, that's a bonus.