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Ollie watkins (£ 6.0m) landed at Villa Park last week for a club record fee of £ 28m, and it could be the answer to many of his woes. Could you also help the Fantasy Premier League coaches?
The 24-year-old, who scored 26 Championship goals last season, has signed a five-year contract and is on track to make his Premier League debut at Gameweek 2 when Aston Villa host Sheffield United.
Villans boss Dean Smith had been desperate to sign a new forward, and for good reason. Villa’s forwards contributed six meager league goals between them last season, and just two, through Wesley (£ 6.0 million) and Mr. Samatta (6.0 million pounds sterling), in 2020.
When signing, Smith said of his new recruit:
“Ollie has become one of the most sought-after forwards in the country and we can’t wait to see him show his great qualities in an Aston Villa jersey. He is a very determined character who has both the ability and the personality to succeed at the highest level. “- Dean Smith
Priced at £ 6.0 million per FPL, Watkins will hope to build on that impressive 26-goal campaign at the top tier, but for Fantasy managers, is this a viable option for our forward lines and, if so, when could be the optimal time to invest?
In this new Scout Report, we will attempt to answer those questions and assess your credentials before your debut.
History and Statistics
Watkins, born Newton Abbot, began his career in Exeter City, where he progressed through the ranks of the academy.
Having impressed for the U-18 team, a first-team debut in 2014 followed, but it was a successful loan stint at Weston-super-Mare when he began to gain attention, scoring 10 goals in 25 appearances for the side of the Southern Conference.
“He’s very talented, he could run the ball wonderfully with both feet and he could do the basics very well. Her talent finally shone through and it has been proven to be the case at Exeter. He has speed and, in addition to playing up front, he is very competent on the wing. You can also play it in the middle due to its great first touch. We played a 3-4-3 formation and he played in the top three. He was very flexible and offered us many options. “ – Former Weston-super-Mare manager Ryan Northmore
Once back at Exeter, Watkins went ahead and racked up 21 league goals over the next two seasons, which was enough for Brentford to make his move. Signed for a fee believed to be just under £ 2 million, Watkins was initially used as a wide forward, scoring 10 goals in each of his first two seasons.
However, it will undoubtedly be the 2019/20 campaign for which he will be most remembered.
After the sale of Neal maupay (£ 6.5 million) to Brighton and Hove Albion, Watkins made the switch to a central leading role. The change worked like a charm, as Watkins finished as the top scorer in the Championship with 26 goals, and Brentford narrowly missed promotion to the Premier League.
Surprisingly, each of those 26 goals came from open play and when penalties are excluded, Watkins scored more goals in the league than any other player in English football last season.
“I usually call it the beast. He is a remarkable player and person. He is so dedicated. Of course he wants to be the top scorer, but that is not his main goal. He is so dedicated to getting better every day which is why it is a coach’s dream because of course we want to focus on the little details. We have been working very hard on his positions and how to run in the area and the link game. In general, he has improved enormously as a player and also as part of the leading group. Lead the team. Look how hard he works, it’s a joy to have a forward like that. He’s one of the toughest offensive players, if not the hardest-working in the league, and he’s also the top scorer. That’s not a bad combination. “ – Brentford Manager, Thomas Frank
Now at Villa, Watkins will meet Smith, who signed him from Exeter City when he was Brentford’s manager, and the player 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 ”. – Ollie Watkins
| Season | Club | Competition | Applications | Goals |
| 2013-14 | Exeter City | League Two | one | 0 |
| 2014-15 | Exeter City | Weston-Super-Mare (loan) | League Two | Southern Conference | 2 | 24 | 0 | 10 |
| 2015-16 | Exeter City | League Two | twenty | 8 |
| 2016-17 | Exeter City | League Two | Four. Five | 13 |
| 2017-18 | Brentford | Championship | Four. Five | 10 |
| 2018-19 | Brentford | Championship | 41 | 10 |
| 2019-20 | Brentford | Championship | 46 | 26 |
Profile
Watkins is 5-foot-11 and used to leading the line after being deployed as the sole forward in a 4-3-3 at Brentford.
He’s fast, strong, and extremely hard-working, best summed up as a complete forward, equally comfortable running channels or dropping deep to tie the game together.
When looking at Watkins’ 2019/20 shooting map, what shines through is that the vast majority of his shots came within the penalty area, while the breakdown of goals from last season also supports his off-road tag: 16 were scored. from within the penalty. area, eight from inside the six-yard box, and two from long range.
He is also capable on both feet: he scored 10 with his right foot, seven with his left and eight with his head.
It’s worth noting that header statistic, considering Villa finished sixth in the Premier League in crossovers last season, at 798, behind only Manchester City, Liverpool, Sheffield United, Chelsea and Everton.
Watkins didn’t take long to convert a cross either, scoring the winning goal in Saturday’s friendly 1-0 over Manchester United, with a diving header from Trézéguet(5.5 million pounds sterling). He also opened the scoring against Burton Albion on Tuesday night.
His physical condition in recent seasons is also very positive. Brentford played 46 league games last season, plus three more in the play-offs, with Watkins playing every game and losing just 10 minutes. Last season he missed only five league games, and only one game last season.
Prospectuses
The prospect of seeing Watkins line up alongside Jack grealish (£ 7.0 million) is exciting.
Last season except Kevin De Bruyne (£ 11.5 million), no player created more chances than Grealish, while, as a team, Villa was sixth in chances created, with 369, and 10th in shots (456). The problem was that they only managed 41 goals.
If Watkins can start converting some of those Grealish opportunities, then I’d hope Villa will go ahead and avoid another relegation battle this season.
Adapting to Villa’s system shouldn’t take long, with Brentford and Villa favoring a 4-3-3, while his position in the starting XI is also secure, as he will immediately move ahead of Samatta. Keinan Davis (£ 4.5 million) and Wesley in the pecking order. Essentially, it will be your place to lose.
So when might be the ideal time to invest?
I’ve seen some suggest Gameweek 9, but I think we should be looking at Gameweek 6 when Villa has six draws at home in 10 games, against Leeds United, Southampton, Brighton and Hove Albion, Newcastle United, Burnley and Crystal Palace.
Throw in a couple of decent trips to West Ham United and West Bromwich Albion, and I think this series of matches looks pretty enticing.
Villa de las Gameweeks games 6 to 15
Villa has been clamoring for a clinical finisher who is capable of head and toe scoring ever since. Tammy Abraham (£ 7.5) returned to Chelsea in the summer of 2019, and at Watkins I think they may well have found their man.
That said, the Premier League is a completely different level than the Championship, so some caution is required.
Still, FPL managers have reason to be excited about Watkins at just £ 6.0 million.
Right now, I’d suggest you explore it over the next few weeks, and if it progresses as I hope too, make a move before Gameweek 6.
His stats from last season certainly suggest that he should be able to make an immediate impression, and if he scored around 12 league goals this season, I think that would be considered a success and would certainly help a lot. Villa will avoid another season by languishing near the bottom of the table.
FPL Lessons Learned From Gameweek 1
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