Aston Villa will no longer move for a new first-choice striker addition this summer, with Unai Emery won over by Ollie Watkins, Football Insider reports.
What’s the latest transfer news out of Aston Villa?
Villa brought in teenage forward Jhon Duran during the January window and parted ways with Danny Ings, who was sold to West Ham. A new striker to partner Watkins was expected to be the club’s main priority this summer, according to Ashley Preece.
However, Watkins has enjoyed a purple patch of form under Emery in 2023, netting nine Premier League goals in the last 11 games, with Villa winning six of their last seven to climb the table.
As a result, it now looks as if Emery and Villa officials have had a change of heart when it comes to the upcoming transfer window. Football Insider journalist Pete O’Rourke shared an interesting development out of Villa Park in the last 48 hours regarding the club’s transfer plans.
He stated that Villa will no longer target a new first-choice striker, with Emery keen to build his side around Watkins. The forward is set to sign a new ‘bumper’ contract in the Midlands which means that a new A-list striker is not expected to be high on the wishlist list for Emery and his staff.
Is that a gamble by Villa and Emery?
This seems to be a real U-turn by Emery and Villa, with the manager recently admitting that he could look at bringing in another forward to rival Watkins.
NSWE are set to back the boss with a ‘huge’ transfer budget, so it’ll be interesting to see where he decides to splash the cash over the coming months.
You could argue that a new marquee attacker to rival Watkins and Duran and possibly play alongside the former of the two could have been a shrewd move, especially as Villa are the least prolific goalscorers out of the top nine Premier League sides.
Watkins’ fine form in front of goal has helped take Villa to 41 goals in 30 games, however, should he suffer an injury or a drop-off in form, Emery may have to turn to two youngsters in Duran or possibly Cameron Archer. Who knows, a new forward could still arrive between now and the time Emery begins his first full season in charge, but it doesn’t look as if it will be a big-money move.