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What Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice have said about Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins amid Arsenal interest

Srinivas Sadhanand

Thu 30 January 2025 10:45, UK Updated Thu 30 January 2025 11:08, UK

Since Arsenal launched a bid to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa, the 29-year-old’s future has become one of the biggest talking points surrounding the Premier League.

Arsenal will submit a second bid for Watkins, as Mikel Arteta’s side believe he is keen on the move and they have the finances to increase their initial £60 million offer — as exclusively revealed by TBR Football.

But Aston Villa are unhappy about Ars♑enal’s bid f൲or Watkins and they intend to keep their star striker.

The Englishman is a boyhood Gunners fa༺n and the prospect of helping them beat Liverpool to win their first Premier League title since💖 2004 could potentially be a tantalising one for him.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	22	16	5	1	54	21	33	53
2	ArsenalArsenal	23	13	8	2	44	21	23	47

Mikel Arteta has lacked a top-class number nine in his ranks for🌳 a number of years, whi▨ch could explain why they have missed out on two successive league titles under his reign.

However, Ollie Watkins is a proven goalscorer. Several players who have played alongside Watkins, who Thierry Henry has praised also hugely admire him as the Torquay-born marksman has proven that he knows where the bac🤪k of the net is.

Arsenal star Bukayo Saka said Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins “changed” his life

Bukayo Saka is certainly one of them, who was full of praise for Watkins after he scored the late winner off the bench in England’s 2-1 win against the 🥀Netherlands in the se🌸mi-final of Euro 2024.

Saka initially revealed how he reacted to Watkins’ goal while speaking to the Three Lions’ official media: “When a moment like that happens on the pitch, I think you can’t really contr🌼ol your feelings, your emotions and your actions as well. I just saw the ball and I wenܫt to just smash it as far and as high as was possible.”

“It was just to let out all the passion and all that excitement I had for thatဣ moment.”

“Somehow Ollie [Watkins] turned up with th꧂e ball that I smashed into the crowd. I don’t know how that happened, but I’m going to have some questions after this.”

Saka admitted that he expected the game to go to extra-time before Watkins, labelled as “incredible” rolled Stefan de Vrij and rifl💦ed the ball past Bart Verbruggen to send England through to the final against Spain — which they subsequently lost 2-1.

“I was literally right behind it and I had the perfect angle of Ollie’s goal. Part of me was feeling like it was going to extra-time💮, but Ollie has just changed all of our lives with that goal and I think everyone is just looking forward to the final now.”

While Saka must be a fan of his countryman, Unai Emery hinted Watkins will snub Arsenal and stay at Aston Villa after they beat Celtic 4-2 in ꦿthe Champioওns League on Wednesday night.

Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice claimed Ollie Watkins’ weak foot is “unbelievable”

Declan Rice has also spent a number of years playing with the Arsenal target for England and against him as well.

The former Bren🔯tford frontman has punished the North Londoners on plenty of occassions, scoring six goals against them in 10 league appearances.

Even this season, Watkins shoved Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes after scoring the equaliser in the 2-2 draw between both sides earlier t✱his year.

Rice lauded Watkins’ weak foot when asked to describe him in one word.

The former West Ham United midfielder said: “W🧜eak foot, his weak foot’s unbelievable, he’s got ꦏso much more than that but his weak foot’s a joke.”

Mikel Arteta could certainly do with the presence of a striker who is a relatively two-footed finisher and based on Rice’s revelation, Watkins c⭕ertainly fits the bill in this regard.

Former Arsenal ace Emiliano Martinez said Ollie Watkins deserved “Player of the Season” award

Emiliano Martinez✱, who nearly spent a decade at the Emirates Stadium has had the pleasure of playing with Watkins si꧃nce 2020.

Speaking to in April, Martinez felt his Aston Villa te🥃ammate deserved♔ to win the Premier League Player of the Season award.

“I think Ollie should win Player of the Season.”

“When you play for a ‘Bigꦐ Six’ side, you get more credit but Ollie has scored 19 goals with the chances he’s got.”

Watkins was beaten to the award by Phil Foden, who also had an outstanding season bu💧t the former not only 🎶managed to score 19 goals for the Villans but top the assists charts with 19 to his name.

Thiago Motta feared Watkins when Juventus drew 0-0 to Aston Villa in November and perhaps rightfully so as he is growing from strength to strength and it looks like Ars🤡enal believe he is the right man to lead the line for them.