2 pros & cons of Arsenal striking a deal for Ollie Watkins

Forget Benjamin Sesko, Viktor Gyokeres and [insert player name here], it turns out that Arsenal have their sights set on Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins.

Reports claim the Gunners had a bid rejected for Watkins on Monday night and they are expected to make a new bid before the 3rd February deadline, though Villa are understandably reluctant to strike a deal.

Other factors – primarily Jhon Duran’s move to Al Nassr and the late timing of our bid – suggest this saga will meet an unsuccessful end, but a creeping sense of desperation might see Arsenal pull out all the financial stops to finally land that much-needed forward.

2 pros & cons of Arsenal striking a deal for Ollie Watkins

News of our Watkins interest came out of the blue, and here are two pros and cons to a successful pursuit.

Pro #1: He is a top-quality striker

Mikel Arteta wants a forward to spearhead our trophy charge THIS season – few could live up to that demand like Watkins.

The 29-year-old has proven his goal-scoring touch for years, registering double digits in every Premier League campaign since his Villa arrival in 2020. His current record of 10 goals and five assists from 23 games suggests there are still no signs of him letting up.

And those numbers are a byproduct of his ‘complete’ nature: he can score goals and create them, he boasts plenty of pace to stretch defences and, importantly, is also a tireless worker out of possession. The fact that he is rarely injured constitutes an added bonus, especially given the brittle streak that is ravaging our existing squad.

Watkins ticks all the boxes and his time at Villa proves he would be an excellent, all-round addition to the Arsenal frontline.   

Con #1: Age and price

This interest signals a deviation from our usual policy.

At 29 years old, Watkins is hardly ancient and he can still lead the line for several years, with the aim of immediate silverware being one he could definitely help us to achieve.

But Arsenal normally target those who offer long-term security/potential for growth and only make exceptions in low-risk scenarios, as evidenced by Jorginho (low fee), a 28-year-old Leandro Trossard (somewhat small fee and a market opportunity) and Neto (a sub goalkeeper on loan).

So to spend £45-60m+ (reports vary) on a potentially small window of opportunity – Watkins might likely have 3-4 prime years in him – is a bold, expensive move that would simply need to pay off from the get-go.

Perhaps such factors are not worth extensive consideration: Ian Wright joined the Gunners just two months short of his 28th birthday and stands second in our all-time goalscoring charts, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was 28 when he arrived in 2018 – no one laments the decisions to bring them in.

It is also worth noting that many players do only stay at their clubs for 3-4 years, and so the idea of signing a young player for ‘longevity’ could be considered an illusion that could actually do harm by prompting Arsenal to give up on this deal.

Yet the amount it would take to actually GET Watkins – some reports indicate that figure is ~£80m – is much more than what we have offered and that sort of money would represent an almighty risk for the club, no matter who the player is.  

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