Ollie Watkins: Four years in Claret and Blue

On this day in 2020, Aston Villa spent £28 million on a Championship striker. At the time, many believed that Villa had overpaid for an average forward who would struggle to produce the numbers needed to be a success in the Premier League. Ollie Watkins has gone on to silence those who doubted him, and despite a poor start to the new campaign, he will most likely become Aston Villa's all-time leading Premier League goal scorer this season.

Watkins has 70 goals in 172 games across all competitions for Villa, with 59 of those coming in the Premier League. The former Brentford and Exeter City forward is chasing down Gabriel Agbonlahor's record of 74 goals in the English top flight and he will be confident of accomplishing that by the end of the season. We take a look back at some of Watkins' key moments and best goals in the last four years.

The big breakthrough

Villa fans will remember the game in which Watkins scored his first Villa goal(s) extremely fondly. After back-to-back wins against Sheffield United and Fulham to start the 2020/21 season, Villa hosted Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool. In a game that Villa famously won 7-2, Watkins scored a perfect hattrick to showcase his ability. Pressing aggressively on the keeper to force a mistake leading to the first goal, cutting inside from the left for his second, and clever movement to be in the right place in the six-yard box for the third. It was the start of something very special.

Watkins weeks later would again prove his ability to produce the goods against the big clubs. Villa travelled to Arsenal and swept them aside 3-0. The Villa talisman was beginning to strike a wonderful partnership with academy graduate and star player Jack Grealish, and the two of them put on a scintillating display to down the Gunners.

His first season saw him finish with 14 Premier League goals and his impressive form in his debut season for the club saw him rewarded with an England debut in the friendly victory over Austria in June 2021.

Tricky times, but some more great goals

Following a downturn in form for Villa under Dean Smith, the lifelong Villa fan lost his job as manager of the club and was replaced by Steven Gerrard. Watkins, like the majority of the Villa squad, struggled under the Liverpool legend's management and was pleased to see the back of him when he was sacked in October 2022. During the eleven months Gerrard had at Villa Park, there were some cracking goals from Watkins. Gerrard's tenure got off to a brilliant start as Villa beat Brighton 2-0 at Villa Park, Watkins scoring the first. Cutting in from the left and bending the ball into the far corner with his right foot from the edge of the box. His goal in the 4-0 demolition of Southampton, known for Coutinho's one magical performance in a Villa shirt, was also exquisite. Receiving the ball on the run into the box, producing a Cruyff turn on the move to cut in past the defender and smashing the ball into the far corner with his right foot. More textbook Ollie Watkins goal scoring.

Often partnered up top with Danny Ings, a combination that just didn't work or suit Watkins' style of play at all, his opportunities in front of goal were limited in the first few games of the 2021/22 season under Gerrard. It was only in October 2022, when Unai Emery was appointed as Gerrard's successor, that Watkins began to truly shine.

Full trust under magic man Emery

Unai Emery pledged his full support and trust in Ollie Watkins to be Villa's main man in attack and Danny Ings' game time was reduced significantly before leaving the club just a few months later. In Emery's first 17 games in charge, Watkins bagged himself 11 goals and the confidence was flowing like never before.

His goal in the victory against Chelsea where he lobbed the ball over Kepa from outside the area, and his double in the 3-0 thrashing of Newcastle at Villa Park were stand-out goals. Watkins was thriving in his role of being the one striker up top for the team, and his running in behind, aggressive pressing, ability to hold the ball up, and excellent finishing were quickly seeing him become one of the best forwards in the league.

An historic campaign for Villa sees Watkins rise to new levels

After scoring 15 Premier League goals in his third season at Villa to help them qualify for the Europa Conference League, he went on to new heights in his fourth year.

Kicking his campaign off, after a slow start, six games into the new season with the winning goal at Chelsea was the start of a wonderful campaign. Watkins dribbled down the right-hand side of the box and drilled the ball into the far corner from an almost impossible angle. He would go on to famously repeat this finish in the Euro 2024 Semi-final for England to clinch victory over the Netherlands.

The next game saw Watkins hit his third Villa hattrick in the 6-1 demolition of Brighton at Villa Park. This was probably the game that started to spark people into believing Villa could be a force that season after hammering a Brighton side near the top of the table. A smash-and-grab finish to clinch a win of the same description away at Tottenham in November before an incredible glancing header to snatch a point at Bournemouth kept up Villa's hot start to the season.

Crucial doubles in the victories over Fulham and Luton Town just after Christmas saw him in the driving seat to claim England's second striker spot at the European Championships. His form was impossible to ignore and his goals from all angles and areas of the box were becoming more and more impressive. He finished the season with 19 Premier League goals and 13 assists to claim the Premier League's Playmaker of the Season award. He also added another eight goals during Villa's Europa Conference League campaign to help guide them to the semi-finals. Those league goals meant that Villa had finished the season in fourth place and qualified for the UEFA Champions League.

We now know that Villa will face Bayern Munich, Juventus and Celtic amongst others in the league phase of the elite European competition and Watkins will want to shake off his slow start to the season and hit the ground running against some of the worlds biggest clubs.

Villa fans and the club appreciate Watkins and all he provides the team immensely and will be looking forward to seeing him break the club's goalscoring record soon. Four years down, and many to go!

UTV