Aston Villa have been a joy to watch under Unai Emery but the squad he’s transformed was mostly built by former manager Dean Smith.
Dean Smith spent just over three years at Aston Villa between October 2018 and November 2021, leading Villa back into the Premier League in 2019 before pulling off a great escape to keep them in the top-flight in 2020.
The Englishman was sacked for Steven Gerrard towards the end of 2021, and although his tenure ended in acrimonious fashion, he was still responsible for many successful transfers today.
Smith signed many stars of the Unai Emery era, including Ezri Konsa, Douglas Luiz, Matty Cash, Emi Martinez, Leon Bailey and Ollie Watkins.
The above names have all played a crucial role in the club’s recent success, although Watkins will perhaps feel he’s been the most important signing in recent years.
Aston Villa signed Ollie Watkins for £28 million from Brentford in 2020
Watkins built up a special bond with manager Smith at Brentford and the pair reunited at Aston Villa in the summer of 2020.
The Villans broke their transfer record at the time to sign the Englishman for £28 million, as per BBC Sport, and the deal has been the catalyst for the brilliance supporters have witnessed.
Smith only managed Watkins for one full season at Villa Park in 2019/20, where he fired 14 Premier League goals and then followed that up with an 11-goal haul in 2020/21.
Those returns were enough to keep Villa treading above water but it wasn’t till after the Gerrard era when the 28-year-old transformed into a top-quality centre-forward.
Emery’s man management skills and ability to bring talented players to the next level were pivotal to his rise, as he began to make a mockery of his £28m price tag.
Watkins has scored 46 goals and supplied 20 assists under the Spanish tactician however, last season’s returns were his most impressive to date, producing 40 goal involvements in all competitions to qualify for the Champions League.
- READ MORE: Aston Villa told Unai Emery has made his feelings ‘crystal clear’ about Ollie Watkins & Jhon Duran
Watkins transfer value in 2024
Watkins has established himself as not just one of the Premier League’s greatest forwards currently but he’s also among the best in Europe.
Hailed as ‘unbelievable’ by Ian Wright, Watkins isn’t just a clinical finisher in the box, the way he drops deep and creates chances is vital in Emery’s fluid style.
| Ollie Watkins 2024/25 record | Matches played | Goals | Assists | Minutes played |
| Premier League | 11 | 5 | 2 | 848 |
| Champions League | 4 | 0 | 1 | 235 |
According to the CIES Football Observatory, the Aston Villa forward is the 20th most valuable player on the planet at £68 million – a 142% increase on what the club paid in 2020.
Interestingly, he’s the most valuable player in Emery’s squad, ahead of key stars such as Martinez, Morgan Rogers and Konsa.
Villa have previously valued Watkins at £80 million, as per the Mirror, but it would perhaps take a nine-figure sum to persuade them to sell a striker who is reaching the peak of his powers.
