Ollie Watkins

[paul_e]

I think he knows that, he's just answering the question of which youth team players we've got who are strikers.

Yep, given it was a reply to a question of who is there other than Louie Barry I figured that was implied.

What about the lad we've loaned to Antwerp - decent standard to learn from, we must have high hopes for him (can't remember his name without googling and I don't know his name to search so...).

Kadan Young, he's a winger, plenty of pace and skill but, like almost every young winger ever, has struggled a bit with turning match winning performances at youth level into consistent end product as he goes up the age groups. He's just turned 18 so still has plenty of time but it'll be interesting to see how he does on loan, it's a pretty good standard for his first loan out so he's clearly got a lot of potential.

[Bosco81]

If we are looking at twisting on Watkins to get a “better” finisher, how many extra goals are we saying this new striker needs to get us ?

He scored 19 league goals last season and his par is about 15 I’d say, so I presume people would be expecting 20-25 each season, a figure even the likes of Yorke and Benteke struggled to get to.

I liked the look of Delap on Saturday, who took his goal really well and looked a massive threat, but would cost north of £70M with a lot of clubs bidding for him.

Personally I think it would be a mistake to underestimate Ollie, as much as he does miss chances, he gets in the position to miss them, and he also usually runs defenders ragged and provides assists (I didn’t think he was at his best on Saturday), but still scored a sharp equaliser.

Duran could have provided the 25 goals we are after, but without the work (and assists) that Watkins can provide, what we need is the other attacking players to share the scoring load out, a big miss this season is Bailey’s goals, I think that a right winger scoring 12 league goals is the priority.

[Footy-Vill]

Watkins has 4 goals in 4 games v Liverpool at Villa Park
overall it’s 5 goals in 9 games against Liverpool

Ollie hasn’t scored in last 4 against them though -last goal was boxing day 2022.

this season at Villa Park in the league it’s 7 goals in 13

[PaulWinch again]

Class.

[AV82EC]

Excellent today in keeping both CBs tied up and showed brilliant hold up play and movement for his goal. 12 G 5A for the season, excellent.

How far is he behind the fat waster for highest PL goals?

[ChicagoLion]

Was very good tonight, ref gave him nothing although he was being fouled constantly.
Great run and finish.

[cdbearsfan]

I didn't really blame the referee. All their fouls on Watkins were tugs in the back of the shirt (deliberately) so the referee couldn't see from his angle. That abject linesman really should have been able to see them, though, there must have been at least half a dozen. We've had worse referees*, but he was definitely the worst linesman of the season.

* I still think he was quite shit, for clarification.

[VillaTim]

Fantastic goal .

[Clampy]

He did play well but second half, I'd have taken him off and put Malen through the middle as Dick Van Dyke really tightened up on Ollie to the point where the ref ignored a couple of blatant fouls on him.

[AV84]

How far is he behind the fat waster for highest PL goals?

 3 to equal it, I believe. 4 to pass it. 10 to smash it into oblivion. Surely it has to happen this season. (The first 2, at least)

[Clampy]

He should have overtaken him by now to honest.

[eamonn]

I'm rooting more for him to get to 100 than surpass flabby Gabby. We've had so few players hit a century, it'd be well good.

[AV84]

He should have overtaken him by now to honest.

I seem to remember thinking it would happen last season and then he stopped scoring.

[PeterWithesShin]

Watkins PL record under Emery

Games 87
Goals 44
Assists 22

[Footy-Vill]

this season at Villa Park in the league it’s now 8 goals in 14