Ollie Watkins is being mentioned alongside some of the Premier League’s greatest players following Aston Villa’s impressive season thus far.
The prolific striker scored a brilliant brace in his side’s 3-2 win over Luton on Saturday, bringing his Premier League goal tally to 16 — only two fewer than Erling Haaland — while also recording a joint-high 10 assists.
He is definitely full of confidence, having scored five goals in his last three matches.
Before the opening leg of the Villans’ Europa Conference League last-16 encounter against Ajax today, we take a look at Watkins’ outstanding recent play.
Leading the way.
Unai Emery’s Villa have performed admirably as a unit this season.
But Watkins’ goals have been the catalyst for a push to finish in the Premier League’s top four. The Villa forward has already surpassed his previous best-ever tally of 15 top-flight goals. He is now just four away from becoming the first Villan to score 20 top-flight goals in a league season since Peter Withe in 1980-81 when they were crowned First Division champions. Notably, 13 of his goals have been from open play — the same number as both Haaland and Jarrod Bowen.
Watkins’ post-shot xG of 18.02 suggests he could have scored more. The 28-year-old also has 10 assists, tied with Pascal Gross and Kieran Trippier for the most in the division. This season, he has regularly linked up with Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby, demonstrating his versatility beyond just finishing.
