Ollie Watkins

[The Edge]

I think he will leave in the summer. From the club's point of view, his value is as much as it's likely to be and we're still in the situation of having to do financial jiggery-pokery to keep both the Premier League and now UEFA happy. Some of the quotes are setting the mood music.

He scored at Southampton and he scored yesterday and both times he pointed at the ground and I took it to mean "I'm staying" 

[AV84]

I don't know what way it will shake out but I think it's highly unlikely we end up with all of Watkins, Rashford, Asensio, Malen, Ramsey, and Rogers here next season.

We can't deny we've been vastly improved by the January signings, but I don't think it works long term. I think if we keep either loan player, Watkins goes.

Selling JJ works from a financial side, but doesn't change the issue of Watkins/Rashford and who sits on the bench.

[Rigadon]

When Watkins pays like he has the last couple of league games, he's up there with Salah and Isak. 

[brontebilly]

Could you imagine Maatsen coming out after the game and talking like that?

Watkins referenced that because he'd contributed to Villa's success over the past few seasons he deserved more than 20 mins against PSG. What?

He happened to be on his worst home goalscoring drought since 2022 before today. Maybe that's why he hadn't been starting every game along with the fact there are legitimate alternatives who might happen to be better suited to the opponent or in better form.

Ollie has always been a bit like that. He couldn't
cope when Ings was with us and he sulked like crazy when Duran was on fire at the start of the season.

But he's been consistently a great player for us. Every time he has been doubted he kicks on again. That's all that matters.

[Steve67]

I think he will leave in the summer. From the club's point of view, his value is as much as it's likely to be and we're still in the situation of having to do financial jiggery-pokery to keep both the Premier League and now UEFA happy. Some of the quotes are setting the mood music.

He scored at Southampton and he scored yesterday and both times he pointed at the ground and I took it to mean "I'm staying" 

I took it to mean, 'I am better on the pitch than being on the bench, this is where I do my work' type of thing.  His quotes will be blown out of proportion by the press, with a 'rift' incoming and 'crisis at the Villa' vibes no doubts on the way.   The comment about 'me and a few of the others' was stupid. 

[danno]

There has been speculation about his future ever since Arsenal bid for him in January. I don’t really have a problem with anything he said necessarily but it struck me as naive.

[Grande Pablo]

Sky have been quick to build on the stay-or-go story & will no doubt be running yellow ticker tape all summer linking him with everyone. 

IMO as good as Rashford has been his form will bring richer suitors from Europe who won't need to sell to bring him on board.  We will find someone younger from Europe to compete with Ollie.

[Steve67]

Interesting that Liam Delap isn't making the starting line-up for the tractor boys when they most need him?  Just saying!!

[Villa in Denmark]

Interesting that Liam Delap isn't making the starting line-up for the tractor boys when they most need him?  Just saying!!

Officially injured ribs from a challenge that saw him taken off last week.

[Percy McCarthy]

I don't know what way it will shake out but I think it's highly unlikely we end up with all of Watkins, Rashford, Asensio, Malen, Ramsey, and Rogers here next season.

We can't deny we've been vastly improved by the January signings, but I don't think it works long term. I think if we keep either loan player, Watkins goes.

Selling JJ works from a financial side, but doesn't change the issue of Watkins/Rashford and who sits on the bench.

Why does selling JJ work from the financial side? I think we’d get more for Ollie, and he is close to pure profit too.

[Dave]

I don't know what way it will shake out but I think it's highly unlikely we end up with all of Watkins, Rashford, Asensio, Malen, Ramsey, and Rogers here next season.

We can't deny we've been vastly improved by the January signings, but I don't think it works long term. I think if we keep either loan player, Watkins goes.

Selling JJ works from a financial side, but doesn't change the issue of Watkins/Rashford and who sits on the bench.

Why does selling JJ work from the financial side? I think we’d get more for Ollie, and he is close to pure profit too.

Maybe just in terms of what we lose from the squad.

If you said to me "play the rest of the season without one of these two" or "play next season without one of these two", I think JJ is more replaceable with what we have.

Even moreso if Rashford and Asensio stick around.

[AV84]

Why does selling JJ work from the financial side? I think we’d get more for Ollie, and he is close to pure profit too.

Yeah, I just meant that he's homegrown and all profit. But having said that, we don't have that many homegrown players, and that matters for the European squad. Also, obviously things have changed from last year, and some players are now more profit than they were before.

[RamboandBruno]

I don’t have a problem with him being angry for being dropped, but I’m not sure there was any need to say it publicly. It now becomes the story, for a while anyway. If Unai decides Rashford is a better fit for the Man City game, the whole thing will start about Ollie being unhappy and he’s also added pressure onto himself as he’ll be asked about it all the time.
Interesting that McGinn or Ramsey haven’t really come out and said anything as the two other players that have had game time reduced.

For the club, the difficult thing may be that Rsshford doesn’t stick around but Ollie wants out.

[ChicagoLion]

His problem is that his form had been patchy for a while and it now appears that he paid for that with his starting place.
What I don’t understand is the either or argument, it’s not like trying to crowbar Ings and Ollie.
Rashfords preferred position is on the left, so we can play both.

[SaddVillan]

From The Guardian's regular Monday morning column:
Premier League: 10 talking points from the weekend’s action

DON'T MAKE WATKINS TOO ANGRY

Ollie Watkins has a point. What is the appropriate response to losing your starting place in a team you helped drive into the Champions League, to a loan player who has one goal in nine league games? Watkins said he was “furious” and – also, just to be clear – “angry” after being replaced by Marcus Rashford in attack for the prime games against Paris Saint-Germain. He played like it against Newcastle, scoring after 23 seconds, his 15th of the season in the league, and hitting the woodwork twice. Unai Emery made the entirely correct point in victory that football is a squad game and Watkins a fantastic team player. But he is also 30 this year, Villa’s best forward and would slot nicely into the first XIs of Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United.

Maybe don’t make him too angry