Former Aston Villa striker has revealed how many goals he thinks Unai Emery’s main marksman Ollie Watkins will score in the 2024/25 season after 19 Premier League goals last time out.
Ollie Watkins enjoyed the best season of his career as he helped fire Aston Villa to a top four finish alongside a run to the Europa Conference League semi-final last campaign.
That culminated in a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the Euros where he earned global recognition for his dramatic late winner against the Netherlands in the semi-final.
Watkins registered an incredible 40 goal contributions in all competitions as he continued his progression under Unai Emery last season; scoring 27 and assisting 13.
The challenge now is to sustain this rate and Watkins will be keen to show the world just how good he is as he plays in the Champions League for the first time.
Darren Bent backs Ollie Watkins to be a success in Champions League amid Premier League goals prediction
Watkins has always been a decent striker but he was a different beast under Emery last season.
Where previously he was an unselfish centre-forward, last season Watkins showed a previously unseen ruthlessness in front of goal as he relished carrying the goalscoring burden for the Villans.
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Darren Bent scored 25 goals across 72 appearances for Villa in the early 2010s and has been impressed by how Watkins has become a reliable source of goals in the Premier League.
Speaking on talkSPORT (5:41pm, Tuesday), Bent said: “He has done well, Ollie Watkins.
“He has been very consistent. When he first got into the Premier League with Aston Villa, 14 goals, then 11, then 15, then 19, all Premier League by the way. He has been quite consistent, he has done well.”
Bent went on to back the 28-year-old to continue his goalscoring in the Champions League, adding: “He has got all the attributes to certainly hurt some of these defenders (in the Champions League).
“He is quick, he is strong, he can finish. 15, I think he will go 15 again (goals in the Premier League this season).”
Aston Villa need to sign Watkins support this summer
Whilst Watkins thrives being the main man, he looked incredibly fatigued by the end of last season given Villa’s lack of alternative.
Jhon Duran is only 20 and very raw so was rarely trusted to deputise for Watkins and his constant expression of a desire to leave the club could still culminate in an exit this summer.
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That would leave just Cameron Archer as an alternative to Watkins; a player Villa sold to Sheffield United last summer but who has returned due to a relegation clause in the deal.
Given Villa have sold Moussa Diaby for £60 million – the player that generally partnered Watkins up front – a quality addition is needed to ease some of the workload for Watkins.
