Ollie Watkins

[Dave]

Averaging 15 goals a season for 5 seasons in the PL isn't good?

No. It's about par for a decent PL striker.

Who are those other strikers with an equivalent record?

[PeterWithesShin]

The 3 seasons where we had Yorke in full flow he averaged 15 a season. Benteke was 14, Saunders was 12, for a couple of other players as well.

[PeterWithesShin]

Ollie has 75 in 182 top flight appearances for us. Withe scored 74 in 182 top flight appearances for us, I suppose he wasn't very good either.

[Dave]

People intentionally include assists with Ollie because they know his goal record isn't good.

He's scored 17 goals so far this season with two matches to play, after scoring 27 last season.

"Not good" indeed.

He's scored 17 goals in 52 games. Do you think that's a good strike rate?

Since football began in 1992, the list of players not called Ollie Watkins who have scored 17 goals or more in a single top-flight season for us is (I believe) Christian Benteke, Juan-Pablo Angel and Dwight Yorke. And no others.

And I think most people would agree he's not been at his absolute best this season. So, yes. It's a perfectly good return.

I'm not one of these "he's irreplaceable, don't sell under any circumstances" types. I think there are probably players who could provide a comparable return, and even if it's not this summer, we at least need to start succession-planning fairly soon.

That doesn't mean he's not still really, REALLY good.

[Smirker]

The 3 seasons where we had Yorke in full flow he averaged 15 a season. Benteke was 14, Saunders was 12, for a couple of other players as well.

Yorke averaged slightly more than that and Benteke was 1 in 2 over his Villa career in the shittest PL era we had.

Since football began in 1992, the list of players not called Ollie Watkins who have scored 17 goals or more in a single top-flight season for us is (I believe) Christian Benteke, Juan-Pablo Angel and Dwight Yorke. And no others.

We've also massively underachieved in the PL era. We're competing at the top now and are a CL team so that's the benchmark.

Our fans just have low standards. If we were happy to plod along in the top half without really doing anything I'd say fine. But if we want to stay where we are or even push on, we do need better than a striker who averages 1 in 3.

[Deano's Mullet]

Dean Saunders best goal scoring season was ironically in the least successful of his three seasons. 15 league goals (2 cups) despite the team finishing in 18th. He only managed 12 and 10 the previous
two years but both campaigns his league goal tallies just dried up.
As much as I loved JPA he had two decent seasons out of five or six.

[Paul.S]

How much for a goalscorer who scores more than Watkins?

[PeterWithesShin]

How the fuck is 4th, a CL QF and quite possible another CL campaign "plodding along top half and doing nothing"? The agenda some have against Ollie is utterly bizarre.

[Smirker]

How the fuck is 4th, a CL QF and quite possible another CL campaign "plodding along top half and doing nothing"? The agenda some have against Ollie is utterly bizarre.

I said we're competing at the top now, and we want to stay there (I assume). I didn't say we were plodding along doing nothing. I said if we were doing nothing then yes he'd be good enough. If we want to push on then he isn't.

How much for a goalscorer who scores more than Watkins?

Whatever it costs. It is possible to find gems. Also just because someone hasn't scored x amount now, it doesn't mena they wouldn't in our team under Unai.

Liverpool paid £37m for Salah.

Leicester paid £1m for Vardy.

Dortmund paid £15m for Guirassy.

Atlético paid £30m for Sorloth.

J. David is available on a free this summer.

Those are just the ones I've mentioned. Our scouts and transfer sraff should have plenty on their radar.

[Smirker]

One day, likely soon, we will get a top striker and the posts on here will be along the lines of, "As good for us as he was and as much as I loved Ollie, this guy is on another level. What a difference having a top class goalscorer makes."

Its going to happen. Then people will understand what an actual top striker is.

[PeterWithesShin]

More likely we'll have someone less effective and you'll pretend you didn't have an agenda against Ollie and will give the new and lesser player more praise.

[Paul.S]

Whatever it costs. It is possible to find gems. Also just because someone hasn't scored x amount now, it doesn't mena they wouldn't in our team under Unai.

Liverpool paid £37m for Salah.

Leicester paid £1m for Vardy.

Dortmund paid £15m for Guirassy.

Atlético paid £30m for Sorloth.

J. David is available on a free this summer.

Those are just the ones I've mentioned. Our scouts and transfer sraff should have plenty on their radar.
[/quote]

Big gamble selling an established 15 goal a season forward and bringing in an untested one.
We can’t afford the £100m for a proven one so we’d have to get 2 in and hope for the best. I’m not sure that’s the way to do it.
Bring one in while Watkins is here like we did with Duran.

[Dave]

Atlético paid £30m for Sorloth.

I don't think that citing a player who scored one goal (in the League Cup) across twenty matches in a season and a half for Crystal Palace really backs up your point about how easy it might be to replace Watkins.

[PeterWithesShin]

It's worth pointing out that Salah was signed in 2017 and Vardy in 2012. They have fuck all to do with the current market.

[Somniloquism]

The 3 seasons where we had Yorke in full flow he averaged 15 a season. Benteke was 14, Saunders was 12, for a couple of other players as well.

Yorke averaged slightly more than that

we do need better than a striker who averages 1 in 3.

Weird to pick up on a .33 calculation there, and yet insist Watkins is a 1 in 3 when he is 1 in 2.42.