Ollie Watkins looking frustrated in an Aston Villa shirt at Villa Park
Credit: Manh Tung - Breaking Media and Imago
Max Wilkins
Tue 16 September 2025 12:22, UK
Ollie Watkins remained at Aston Villa this summer despite plentiful exit links.
Watkins was strongly linked to Manchester United as the window went on, but it remained clear that Unai Emery wanted to keep the striker in B6.
Despite all the speculation, Watkins thrived for Villa in pre-season, scoring against Nashville among others, moving into the campaign.
As a result, high hopes and expectations surrounded Watkins moving into the Premier League season, but he is yet to score or assist after four games.
Coming off the back of yet another Villa goalless draw against Everton, the England international may have regrets over the most recent transfer window at Villa Park.
Ollie Watkins Aston Villa
Credit: Imago
Aston Villa would have considered Ollie Watkins exit
This article includes exclusive comment from iconic football commentator Ian Darke.
John McGinn believed Villa were lucky to keep Watkins, and that may prove to be the case as the season moves deeper.
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The idea that a sizable fee could have been brought in for his signature could represent a concern for some, but his goal-scoring record can’t be argued against.
With that being said, the striker may have liked the idea of a departure, but was let down as no offers came in at Villa Park in the end.
This has seen iconic commentator Darke suggest that Villa would have let Watkins go, while the Villa star may regret the missed opportunity to move on.
Speaking exclusively to Villa News, Darke said: “Possibly [Watkins regrets not leaving Aston Villa], it would appear that no one really came in, in the end.
“If someone had come in with £60million as an offer, then Villa would have talked about it with them, given the financial issues they had.
“I think, like everyone else at Villa, he needs a game where he gets a goal or two and the team starts to fire again.
“*However, if this form goes on for a couple more games, then maybe you’ll start to get a crisis of confidence there.*“
Ollie Watkins Aston Villa
Credit: Imago
Ollie Watkins needs to prove his worth after £60m valuation
There is no getting away from the fact that the former Brentford man has been one of the most consistent attackers in the Premier League in recent years.
Stat 2024/25 2023/24 2022/23
Appearances 54 53 42
Goals 17 27 16
Assists 14 13 7
Ollie Watkins has been excellent for Aston Villa
As a result, letting him go could be seen as a mistake by many, but at 29, his value is only going to decrease in the coming years.
This could see Villa look to agree an exit in the region of £60m in the upcoming summer window to afford themselves the opportunity to sign a younger alternative.
To get a figure in this region, the Villans need Watkins to return to his best form this season, something which has looked unlikely in recent weeks.
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