Ollie Watkins can safely say he’s one of the greatest Aston Villa players to grace the Premier League.
Watkins hit double-digit hauls in his first four Premier League campaigns with Aston Villa while starting 2024/25 with four goals and two assists in seven games.
Since Unai Emery arrived at Villa Park in October 2022, only Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland have scored more goals than the Englishman in the top-flight.
Villa are over-reliant on Watkins’ output, as last term he produced 39 goal involvements in all competitions, helping Emery’s men qualify for the Champions League.
It isn’t just his relentless finishing that stands out, though, as Declan Rice recently praised Watkins movement in behind for England, relying on his pace to penetrate defences.
Among players in Villa’s first-team squad, he is easily one of the quickest but according to data, there is one attacker who is faster than him.
Jaden Philogene is Aston Villa’s fastest player
Jaden Philogene completed his return to Aston Villa in the summer, joining in a £13 million move from Championship side Hull City.
The 22-year-old has had to be patient for game time so far but with an injury pile-up in Emery’s squad, the fleet-footed winger started last time out against Manchester United.
Philogene was rewarded with a start after impressing against Bayern Munich, wreaking havoc on both flanks with his searing pace and incisive dribbling.
It’s the type of attributes that convinced Emery to re-sign him in the summer, as across his 133 minutes of action in the Premier League, he’s clocked the highest speed of any Villa player (34km/h), per BBC Sport.
Considering the talent and pace in the Spaniard’s squad, the fact Philogene comes out on top in that metric suggests how much of a weapon he could prove to be.
- READ MORE: Ollie Watkins could break Aston Villa Premier League record vs Fulham, he only needs a goal
Liam Rosenior’s praise for Philogene at Hull City
Philogene ripped apart the Championship last term, scoring all types of goals, including an audacious rabona, long-range cannons and mazy solo runs.
Speaking after the youngsters’ rabona against Rotherham in February, Hull manager at the time Liam Rosenior told Hull’s official website: “Ridiculous. His ability is something we missed for a long time. He’s only going to get better with the more games he plays.
“It’s not just his goal or his showreel moments, it’s his energy levels he gives the team – he works so hard.
“He’s got real belief he can be a top player but the reason he can be a top player is because he works so hard on his game. Jaden’s was one of many really good performances.”
Villa supporters have seen glimpses of that raw talent in his limited appearances so far but under a coach like Emery, he’s only going to improve, perhaps developing into the top player Rosenior said he’d become.
