Ollie Watkins Faces Uncertain Future at Aston Villa

Ollie Watkins could be the next big name out of Aston Villa, with Unai Emery admitting he cannot guarantee his star striker will stay at the club.

The England forward is being pursued by Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal, and Emery confirmed that concrete offers have already landed on Villa’s desk. With key figures already gone and others edging towards the exit, Villa’s summer rebuild is starting to look like a full-scale teardown of the team that conquered Europe just two months ago.

Villa’s core ripped apart

Ezri Konsa is heading to Arsenal in a £51m deal. Morgan Rogers has joined Chelsea for a staggering £117m, a record fee for the club. Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne have also departed in a window that has stripped away much of the backbone of Emery’s side.

Now the focus falls on Watkins, the club’s record Premier League goalscorer and emotional centrepiece of the attack. Emery wants him to stay. He also knows football doesn’t always care what managers want.

"We have an issue with him, it's clear. He is our player. We have had offers for him," Emery said, laying out the situation with blunt honesty.

"I don't want to sell him but it can change because if it's a good option for him and the club and I can replace him in the squad, this is the routine we have and we did before with the players who are leaving.

"With Ollie, he is here, for me he is a fantastic striker, we have always believed in him.

"Now he is our player, there are 10 days more or less to finish the transfer window, we will see what happens, I'm happy with him, if he is staying with us he will continue playing his level.

"If he leaving it's because it is good for three ways, one is him, another is the club and another is the team."

Watkins, signed from Brentford for £28m in 2020, has scored 108 goals for Villa and grown into one of the Premier League’s most reliable forwards. Losing him now, on the eve of a new campaign, would hit harder than any of the other departures.

If Watkins and Emi Martinez both go, Villa will have sold six members of the starting XI that lifted the Europa League just two months ago. That is not evolution. That is surgery.

Martinez move stalls as Suzuki steps in

For now, Martinez remains a Villa player, but his future is no less uncertain. His proposed move to Juventus collapsed after the two clubs failed to agree a fee, leaving the World Cup winner in limbo.

Villa have already moved on in practical terms, spending £30m to bring in Japan international Zion Suzuki from Parma as their new No.1.

Emery made it clear Suzuki has not arrived to sit and wait.

"We have two excellent goalkeepers, of course we signed Suzuki not for the future but for now. He showed his capacity to get his performance to our level. He will need to adapt to us but he is playing at this level," Emery said.

Martinez, meanwhile, has only just returned from a post-World Cup break and will not be involved in Sunday’s Premier League opener at Brighton after just one training session back with the squad.

Emery revealed that the Argentine has been open for some time about his desire to test himself elsewhere.

"Martinez transmitted to us the possibility to have another challenge in his career.

"Even last year, he was thinking in case he can have one possibility to change for his challenges.

"He didn't do it last year and he performed fantastic with us. This year, again, he transmitted us the possibility to have another challenge and we decided to sign Suzuki because I think he's a fantastic goalkeeper."

So Villa head into the new season with their Europa League heroes scattered, their goalkeeper position reshaped, and their main striker at the centre of a high-stakes tug-of-war.

If the Saudi money proves too strong to resist and Watkins follows the exodus, what will be left of the side that made Villa Park believe again?