Arsenal may’ve signed him for £60m

Ollie Watkins in motion for Aston Villa towards Wolves (Photograph by Naomi Baker/Getty Photos)

Arsenal may reportedly have signed Ollie Watkins for round £60million this January, with the Aston Villa striker having been eager on the switch.

The England worldwide was the topic of a £40m bid from the Gunners, with Mikel Arteta having been eager on the deal, although it appears there wasn’t unanimous help for this transfer contained in the Emirates Stadium.

That’s in accordance with the Athletic, who add that Villa needed extra like £60m for Watkins, with the boyhood Arsenal fan additionally thought to have been eager to make the transfer to north London.

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Watkins has been a star participant for Villa, and one imagines he may have been a giant hit at Arsenal, who urgently want extra of a purpose risk up entrance as quickly as attainable.

This deal was made difficult, nevertheless, by Villa’s sale of Jhon Duran to Al Nassr, because it meant they now not wanted to contemplate presents for an additional key participant in Watkins.

Ollie Watkins switch appears like a possibility missed by Arsenal

Ollie Watkins within the pre-match warmup with Aston Villa (Photograph by Naomi Baker/Getty Photos)

Arsenal will now have to attend till the summer season to signal a brand new striker, however that might most likely imply there’ll be better-value choices obtainable and extra practical.

Watkins might need been a tempting stop-gap choice, however he’ll flip 30 later this 12 months and which means he was by no means going to be a very long-term resolution to the Gunners’ attacking points.

Somebody like Benjamin Sesko, linked as a possible goal by the Impartial, certainly makes extra sense for AFC, as he’s solely 21 and will nonetheless have as a lot as a decade on the prime stage.

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Watkins will little doubt be upset as this certainly means he gained’t get one other likelihood to signify the membership he supported rising up.

Nonetheless, he stays a key participant on this thrilling Villa aspect, so this might nonetheless find yourself being a extremely good season for him.