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

Pro #2: No adaptation needed

An advantage Watkins holds over any other target.

Given our precarious domestic standing, Arsenal cannot afford to wait for any newcomer to settle in and adapt to life in England; they must instead slot straight into the team, be ready to rotate with Kai Havertz and keep our fading title charge alive.

No one stands a better chance of doing that than the Villa man. If he joins now, he is already in the sort of great form that he has shown throughout his top-flight career and would also be primed for the return of Champions League football in March.

Furthermore, the project is at a point where trophies are needed and, given the chance of Sesko et al. not adapting fast, Arsenal can at least count on Watkins to slot in right away – it could really be the difference between a PL title/UCL crown or nothing.

Even if the money is steep, this move is as close to a sure bet (in terms of an immediate impact) as Arteta could hope for.

Con #2: Does it derail our summer plans?

This is arguably the biggest drawback of the Watkins deal.

For months, it has seemed like Sesko is our no. 1 striker target and there was every expectation that, after showing strong interest last year, Arsenal would push for his services again in the upcoming summer window.

But any deal for Watkins would no doubt end that pursuit and, thus, the current picture raises some questions/concern about the apparent change in tack from Arteta – has he given up on Sesko? What does the change from long-term to short-term frontline thinking mean for this project? Is the trade-off worth it?

Again, perhaps it is not worth the anxiety as plans can change and Watkins is certainly good enough as a Sesko alternative. There are also plenty of other areas (e.g. the wings, central midfield) to which Arsenal could turn their attention instead in the summer off-season.

However, the Slovenian had looked like ‘the one’ up until now and, considering the sharp difference these two players represent vis-à-vis longevity, the dramatic change in transfer interests might be the cause of much fan consternation.

Hopefully the club know what they are doing.    

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