Former England striker, Gary Lineker has been discussing the form of Ollie Watkins following his excellent start to the season.
It has been a great start to the season for Aston Villa which has seen them rise to third place in the Premier League.
Under the tutelage of Unai Emery, the Villans have gone from strength to strength. They are now fighting at the top end of the table.
There have been many standout performers in the past year from Douglas Luiz in midfield to Emi Martinez in goal.
This has seen Villa break club records multiple times in the past few weeks and seen praise come in for their players.
Now a former England star has praised a current Villa man and England international.
What has Gary Lineker said about Ollie Watkins?
It is safe to say that Ollie Watkins has had a terrific season. There had been calls for the striker to pick up in terms of goal involvement earlier this season. Now there is no doubt over how good the Englishman has been.
With nine goals and six assists in 17 Premier League games, Watkins has been in top form on the domestic front. In the Europa Conference League, his form has continued as he has scored five goals in six matches.
This has seen Gary Lineker open up about the Villa man in his podcast, The Rest Is Football. On that, he said: “The way he is going, he is playing himself very much into the England squad in the summer.
“That’s nine goals, nine assists this season. He has got a fantastic work ethic and energy when he plays as well.”
Given that he has the most goals and most assists in the whole Villa squad this season, his importance can’t be doubted. To receive praise from Lineker, compliments for Watkins don’t come much better.
Transfer interest from Arsenal
The form that he has shown this season has seen transfer rumours come in for the former Brentford striker. This has seen Arsenal show interest in yet another one of Villa’s stars.
The Gunners had already shown interest in Luiz over the past few months, a move doesn’t appear likely right now. The Daily Mail have reported that Watkins is on their striker shortlist for the January transfer window.
On that, they said: “Toney isn’t the only striker being monitored. Victor Osimhen, who last week signed a new contract at Napoli with a £112m release clause, is among those being coveted. Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is another.
“Arsenal are admirers of Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins, but a January move for him feels unlikely.”
It is safe to say that Villa won’t want to let their star man leave, especially to a title rival as Arsenal are right now.
