Aston Villa have been told that Ollie Watkins is ‘the most improved’ Premier League player in recent years as Unai Emery continues to get the best out of his striker.
Aston Villa would be in a far worse position if they did not have Ollie Watkins this season.
The Englishman has been in formidable form, netting 16 Premier League goals and 10 assists so far in 29 appearances.
It’s been an incredible campaign so far for the 28-year-old, who has already eclipsed his best scoring tally in the top flight with nine games left to play.
Watkins has been one of the most consistent performers in the Premier League this season, with him now being named as one of the most improved too.
Ollie Watkins dubbed the most improved Premier League player
Writing in his column for The Athletic, journalist Jack Pitt-Brooke was full of praise for Watkins, despite the criticism he has received following his display against Brazil for England on Saturday.
In his analysis of the England game, Pitt-Brooke took the time to acknowledge the improvement of Watkins over the past few years.
“On Saturday it was Watkins who got the nod, the man in better club form, with 16 Premier League goals for Aston Villa, and the man with more international experience so far.”
“Watkins is clearly a very good striker, fast, imaginative, direct. He could even claim to be the most improved player in the league in recent years.”
The numbers show how much Ollie Watkins has improved
Not only has Watkins’ goalscoring improved over the years in the Premier League for Villa, but his overall game has taken a turn to become far more rounded.
The £130k-a-week star has elevated his playmaking ability over the previous two campaigns, as well as becoming more clinical in general.
In the 2020/21 and the 2021/22 seasons, the Englishman recorded a combined total of 25 goals and seven assists, highlighting just where the talisman has bolstered his playing style.
This campaign alone, after only 29 appearances, Watkins has eclipsed his assist tally over those two seasons, recording 10 so far, as well as netting 16 goals.
It’s not just in his goal contribution that he’s strengthened his attacking mind but in his game-by-game averages, where he has rocketed last term’s average of 0.8 key passes per game to 1.3 per game, via Sofascore.
The 28-year-old has also recorded more big chances created in 29 games this term than he ever has in the Premier League, creating nine with still nine games left to play.
It’s not easy to find areas to improve when you’re already scoring goals as a club’s favoured number nine however, Watkins has clearly taken the time to make himself more of an unbreakable force when leading the line.
Only time will tell if the Villa man can become the first Villan to hit the 20-goal tally in the Premier League, with his improvement a huge boost for the club.
