Arsenal are considering a move to sign a new striker in January, and the player is open to the move despite a recent development driving his price up, according to reports.
How have Arsenal performed this season?
In the Premier League, Mikel Arteta’s side have made a fantastic start to the new campaign having won six and drawn two of their opening eight games, meaning that they find themselves joint top of the table and level on points with rivals Tottenham.
With the North London teams the only two left in the division to remain unbeaten, here is how those fixtures have played out so far:
Nottingham Forest (2-1)
Fulham (2-2)
Crystal Palace (1-0)
Tottenham Hotspur (2-2)
Manchester United (3-1)
Everton (1-0)
Bournemouth (4-0)
Manchester City (1-0)
The Gunners currently have 16 squad members away on international duty representing their nations, including the likes of Martin Odegaard with Norway, Gabriel Jesus with Brazil and Oleksandr Zinchenko with Ukraine (Arsenal website), and this break in domestic action has given chiefs time to start assessing their transfer options ahead of the new year.
Aston Villa centre-forward Ollie Watkins has emerged as a possible target, but having only signed a new long-term deal earlier this month that runs until 2028 (Aston Villa contracts), Unai Emery’s side are in a very strong negotiating position when it comes to any kind of sale regarding their prized asset.
However, England’s international has established himself as the overall best-performing player in the Midlands so far this season with a match rating of 7.37 (WhoScored – Aston Villa statistics), and the 27-year-old’s outstanding displays have caught the eye in N7.
Ollie Watkins transfer update
According to Spanish reports (via The Hard Tackle) who have shared a transfer update on Ollie Watkins, Arsenal are “hoping to sign” the attacker from Aston Villa in January despite his recent new deal no doubt driving the asking price up.
Edu is looking to bolster his ranks in the final third and has earmarked the star as a potential candidate, and it’s believed the Gunners are “attractive” to Watkins so he “could be tempted” by the project on offer.
How many goals has Ollie Watkins scored?
Since putting pen to paper at Aston Villa, Watkins has posted 67 contributions, 50 goals and 17 assists, in 129 appearances, which shows how prolific he can be in the final third, a quality that he’s carried into this season (Transfermarkt – Watkins statistics).
Sponsored by Under Armour, Emery’s striker has recorded a total of 25 shots so far this term which is more than any of his fellow teammates (FBRef – Aston Villa statistics), which has seen him described as “difficult to stop” due to his amazing movement and work rate by journalist Josh Bunting.
Furthermore, Watkins, whose wage has just gone from £75k-per-week to over £100k-per-week (Aston Villa salaries), is a versatile operator having been deployed in six different positions over the pitch since the start of his career, including everywhere across the frontline and even two roles in the midfield, so should he ever sign on the dotted line, it would be a massive coup for Arsenal to have such a versatile and clinical threat up front.
