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Watkins meets with Villa boss Dean Smith, who signed the forward for Brentford in 2017
Last Updated: 09/09/20 12:08 pm
Ollie Watkins to play Premier League this season with Aston Villa
Aston Villa broke their transfer record to sign Ollie Watkins from Brentford to a five-year contract.
The forward traveled to Birmingham on Tuesday night before the move, which dwarfs the £ 22m Villa spent on Club Brugge forward Wesley last year.
It is understood that the club will pay an initial fee of £ 28 million for Watkins, which could increase to £ 33 million in add-ons. Villa has beaten city rivals West Brom to the signing of the scorer and moved in for Watkins after Bournemouth turned down his offer for Callum Wilson, who eventually joined Newcastle.
The Watkins deal also represents a record sale for the League Two club Exeter City, which has cashed in a seven-figure sum thanks to a clause to sell its old academy product following its move to west London for less. £ 2 million in 2017..
A new forward was at the top of Villa’s shopping list in this transfer window and manager Dean Smith, who signed Watkins when he was Brentford’s head coach, believes the 24-year-old will be a huge hit in the league. Premier League.
“Ollie has become one of the most sought-after forwards in the country and we are looking forward to seeing him show his great qualities in an Aston Villa jersey,” said Smith.
“He is an extremely determined character who has both the skill and the personality to succeed at the highest level.”
Watkins added: “I am very excited to join Aston Villa and meet Dean Smith as my head coach. I can’t wait to wear the famous claret and blue in the Premier League. I want to do something special here and score some goals.”
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Watkins scored 26 goals for the Bees last season, as they missed promotion in the Sky Bet Championship play-off final against Fulham.
Watkins finished the season as the championship’s top scorer with 26 goals, alongside Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Brentford remains prepared for offers from some of his other top players, notably Said Benrahma, who was also drawing interest from Aston Villa and West Ham.
Villa has already completed the signing of full-back Matty Cash on a five-year contract from Nottingham Forest that could be worth up to £ 16 million.
The rise of Ollie Watkins
2:34 After an impressive season for Brentford, we take a look at some of Ollie Watkins’ best shots for the Bees as he impressed throughout the 2019-20 campaign.
“I’m a huge fan of Ollie, I really like him,” said Paul Tisdale, former manager of Watkins in Exeter City. Sky sports.
“There are so many skilled players who have a bad attitude, but Ollie has it all. He has the perfect skill and attitude. He has the perfect personality for real.
“But when he came on the scene as a young professional, he was no different than any other young player, he was thinking about what he was going to do when he received the ball.
“Most of the game is off the ball. It’s what happens in the rotation or when the ball goes out of play. Are you standing in the right place at the right time and thinking about the right things?
“A football player can only touch the ball 20 times in a game, so where does he move for the rest of the game? What is he thinking? How do he visualize what comes next?
“With Ollie, it was very specific and very technical in terms of his application of the game. He had to figure out where he was going to fit into the game. I call it psychological repositioning.”
Learn more about Ollie Watkins’ psychological repositioning
Summer Transfer Period: Key Dates and Times
The summer transfer window will last 10 weeks starting July 27 and will close at 11 pm on October 5.
A national-only window for exchanges between the Premier League and EFL runs from October 5 and closes on Friday, October 16 at 5 p.m. Follow all news and analysis on Sky Sports News and on Sky Sports digital platforms, including with our dedicated blog Transfer Center.
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