Not that long ago, there were doubts over whether or not Ollie Watkins had the ability to be the main man for a Premier League team.
The versatile forward had an impressive debut campaign at Villa Park following his £22million move from Brentford in 2020 as he netted 14 goals. This included a hat-trick against Liverpool in that 7-2 victory, three goals across two games versus Arsenal, and a goal against Spurs.
The way he seamlessly adapted to life in the English top-flight didn’t go unnoticed and he was linked with moves to Spurs, Arsenal, Chelsea, and Liverpool across various stages of the summer of 2021. He remained with the Villans though and mass interest in the striker appeared to die down after his second season in the Premier League. He couldn’t match the exploits of the previous campaign, finishing with 11 goals though he did find the back of the net against Spurs and Manchester City this time around.
At one stage it appeared as though the 2022/23 season would be a disappointing one for the England international. In his first 18 Premier League appearances, Wakins scored just three goals. He finished the season with 12 in 19, finding a new lease of life under manager Unai Emery after the Spanish tactician replaced Steven Gerrard.
He’s carried this goalscoring form over into the current campaign with 18 goals to his name, a total that only Erling Haaland can better. Watkins has rounded out his game too and currently leads the way for assists in the top-flight with 10. His 28 goal involvements cannot be matched.
It is easy to understand why he’s more of a threat than ever before. When looking at the numbers, Wakins has never averaged more shots on a per 90 basis for Villa (3.03) while he’s only bettered his return of 1.3 key passes per 90 during his time in the Championship with Brentford, and that was when he was more of a wide player. The Aston Villa No. 11 has dialled back certain elements of his game, for example he’s attempting fewer dribbles, with the primary focus now being firmly on how he can influence the final third. He’s much safer in possession too, finding a teammate with a Premier League career-high 76.2% success rate.
Emery has looked to turn Watkins into the main man. A man main few felt he could be.
The player has credited Emery with helping him develop as a player. After scoring the winner for England vs. Australia last October, he said: “I think my mindset has changed since the boss has come in, Unai Emery at Villa. He’s filled me with a lot of confidence. I’ve definitely improved in these last 18 months since I was last in the England camp. “I think it shows in my form and my performance here so I’m really happy and I’m delighted to be back in the squad and putting on an England shirt.”
And Emery acknowledged his part in helping Watkins evolve as a player when speaking to TNT Sports earlier in the season, saying: “Firstly, I told him that his goals were a consequence of his work every day. His commitment with the work tactically that we have to do not only in the attacking third but as well when we are defending. And then he has the quality when there are spaces to attack, like today was fantastic, and today he played amazing. We helped him try and get on to good balls, and his finishing today was amazing. We are working with him individually, but he always wants to work more than we are trying to do with him.”
Watkins has 28 goal involvements in 2,703 minutes in the Premier League. He’s involved himself in a goal in 50% of his appearances this season and instead of having the odd purple patch, something that occurred during his debut campaign, he’s spreading the threat around. For example, the longest he’s gone this term without a goal or an assist in the Premier League is three games.
Not only has Emery made him more of a focal point, Watkins has also improved himself as a finisher. We see this when looking at his underlying numbers. His Expected Goals total for the season is 15.02 but his xG on Target haul is 17.3. He’s adding value to his efforts with his shot placement. This, coupled with the fact he’s averaging more shots, is the perfect storm for the 11-cap England international, and it goes some way to explaining why he’s managed to be an even greater threat this season.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
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