The Aston Villa striker is being offered unimaginable riches by Saudi Pro League club Al-Hilal but was wrong to refuse to play for his club, who still pay his wages.
Watkins let down his Villa team-mates, supporters and also Unai Emery, whose coaching and man-management got him back in the England squad.
Watkins was drifting under Steven Gerrard, almost trying to do too much. Emery made him focus simply on the art of finishing, making him more effective.
"Greed versus loyalty, reputation tarnished, snake"
The Watkins stand-off is actually far more nuanced than the screaming headlines suggest. To understand the situation fully it’s important to take a step back from the raging bonfire of feelings and judgements.
There is no denying that Villa’s dressing room resembles one of those Agatha Christie country-house drawing rooms where characters keep disappearing: Morgan Rogers, Youri Tielemans, Lucas Digne, Ezri Konsa, probably Watkins and Emi Martinez. All starters in the triumphant Europa League final. All gone or going. No wonder Villa fans seethe with frustration, even fury.
It’s rage against the machine of financial regulations seemingly designed to protect the elite as much as encourage sustainability. It’s anger at those they feel chase fortunes elsewhere rather than pursue further glory with Villa. It’s exasperation at the domino effect: one player leaving makes it easier for others to eye opportunities through the exit door. Villa fans feel spurned and vexed because the monies brought in for Rogers in particular should have eased UEFA Squad Cost Ratio concerns.
Above all with Watkins, it’s unadulterated wrath at the sight of a front-line with no striker at the Amex and the sight of Brighton destroying them in the first half. Villa-related social media resembles a writhing pit of snake emojis. By contrast, Villa fans remember when James Milner was off to Manchester City in August 2010. He gave everything in his last Villa game, knowing he was leaving, and even scoring against West Ham United. Professional.
But let us pause and try to imagine things from Watkins’ perspective. He is being offered sums of money to move to Al-Hilal that he couldn’t even have dreamed of growing up in a large Devon family primarily raised by one parent, his mother, when going on loan to Weston-super-Mare, struggling to make it as a pro, when always, always having to prove himself. This move to the desert will set up future generations of Watkins’ for life. Can anyone begrudge anyone that?
Now 30, Watkins is engaged in a career which can end suddenly, brutally, in one tackle. It’s unlikely, of course. The days of centre-backs routinely going through the back of forwards are long gone. The days of the best medical attention are very much present. But career-threatening injury stalks the mind of players, if not always their reality. Watkins could also be forgiven for looking around the dressing-room and seeing empty spaces.
He’s also one of the more thoughtful individuals of the England squad in my experience. He’s one of the least likely to cause controversy. He’s always preferred to be low-key. A group of us spoke to Watkins at St. George’s Park in 2023 and he emphasised that he preferred going 'under the radar'. He wasn’t on X, didn’t do much on Instagram and lived by a mantra of “just be good at football and the rest will take care of itself”. By “the rest”, Watkins meant sponsorships.
He said he was quite happy sitting around the other England players just listening to them. “I’m OK with silence,” Watkins said. He’s quietly determined, and has needed to be on his rise up through the divisions. Watkins knows that fans can be “fickle”, as he mentioned in 2023, explaining why he stuck his fingers in his ears after scoring against Chelsea following a brief drought.
So he will try and ignore the noise. He’ll probably get his way. Villa say that Al-Hilal have made four offers. Villa’s position has been weakened with Watkins’ refusal to play, and surely a deal needs doing quickly. But he could have handled this so much better.
Refusing to play is never a good look, whatever has gone on or been said behind the scenes. It’s the fact that he’s going to the Saudi Pro League when he could be playing in the Champions League. He’s turning his back on the adoring faithful in the Holte End for the desert. He’s leaving for the Kingdom Arena, average gate 20,616, decent but hardly Villa Park on a heaving Champions League or Premier League occasion. He’ll have Simone Inzaghi as his coach, service from Crysencio Summerville and Malcom and competition for places with Karim Benzema and Darwin Nunez. He’ll have easy goals. But Ollie Watkins won’t be a Villa legend any more.
