Former Aston Villa striker Dean Saunders has told Football FanCast the player Unai Emery must keep hold of this summer amid exit rumours surrounding several of Villa’s top stars.
Villa players who could leave this summer
Emery has done a fantastic job re-establishing Villa on the European stage, reaching the Champions League quarter-final and narrowly missing out on the Premier League top five last season, but the success means rival clubs are now queuing up for their top players.
The likes of Morgan Rogers, Jacob Ramsey, Ollie Watkins and Emiliano Martinez have all been linked with moves away, and with the Villans still treading a fine line PSR-wise, it could be tempting to cash-in on one of their older players this summer.
In fact, Manchester United have now tabled a loan offer for Martinez, which was knocked back, but the Red Devils are now expected to return with a permanent offer, although it remains to be seen whether they are willing to match the £40m asking price.
Watkins is also in Man United’s sights, with Ruben Amorim’s side weighing up a bid for a striker, although it would be a risk to cash in, having already sold Jhon Duran in the January transfer window.
Discussing the players who could be sacrificed either to raise funds for Emery or to comply with PSR, Saunders gave Football FanCast, in partnership with NewBettingSites.uk, an emphatic “no” when asked about Watkins.
“I used to get phone calls, when I was managing, from agents saying, ‘I’ve got a striker.’
“My first question would be, ‘Does he score goals?’ If they say yes, my next question is, ‘Does he work hard?’ If he says yes to that, I just say, ‘Bring him down.’ Because I don’t care how big he is or what he looks like. If he works hard and scores goals, it’s Ollie Watkins, that’s what you’ve got.
“So, you know, when you go through a drought, you can pick Ollie Watkins when he’s in a drought. We all have droughts every year. Strikers go through patches where they don’t score for six games, but he’s not a passenger.
“He dictates the way Villa play, the actual style of play, because he closes the goalkeeper down, he chases lost causes, he battles with the centre-halves. He’ll run in behind without the ball. He won’t come to feet all the time, which is easy. You don’t get out of breath coming to feet all the time.”
Villa must keep Watkins despite PSR concerns
Unfortunately, PSR rules mean clubs are now often forced to cash-in on their best players to avoid punishment, with Villa believed to be hours away from a 10-point deduction before completing the sale of Douglas Luiz last summer.
However, as pointed out by Saunders, the England international is far too important to even consider a sale, netting 16 goals and eight assists in the Premier League last season.
That said, given that the 29-year-old remains contracted until 2028, Villa should be in line to receive a sizeable fee if they do decide to cash in, with reports suggesting they are set to hold out for £60m.
