Aston Villa Striker Seals Saudi Move: The Best Replacement For Him?
· Yahoo Sports
Al-Hilal FC and Aston Villa have agreed a deal to transfer Ollie Watkins to Saudi Arabia, according to a report from Belgian journalist Sacha Tavolieri. Aston Villa had held back from accepting any proposal until a replacement was secured. That condition has now been met.
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Aston Villa agree Ollie Watkins sale to Al-Hilal
Watkins will travel to Riyadh in the coming days to complete the formalities, with the 30-year-old set to earn £15 million per year in the Saudi Pro League. After four rejected bids and weeks of mounting tension at Villa Park, the transfer finally appears to have reached its conclusion.
Honest opinion: A financially rational but sporting gamble
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND – MAY 21: Ollie Watkins of Aston Villa celebrates on the bus during the Aston Villa trophy parade on May 21, 2026 in Birmingham, England. Aston Villa defeated SC Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League Final in Istanbul to claim their first European trophy in 44 years. (Photo by Cameron Smith/Getty Images)
From a purely sporting angle, Watkins leaving Aston Villa right now feels short-sighted. But it’s also almost impossible to argue against. He just finished the best season of his career with 16 league goals, three assists across 37 Premier League appearances in 2025/26, plus five goals and two assists in 15 Europa League matches that ended with Villa lifting the trophy in Istanbul. At 30, this is his last genuine shot at a life-altering contract. You can’t fault a man for taking it.
For Unai Emery, though, the manner of it has been disastrous. Watkins rejected a four-year contract offer, made his desire to leave unmistakably public, and sat out the opening 4-0 hammering by Brighton. His subsequent return to training and apology to teammates softened the blow slightly, but the damage is done. Bridges don’t look singed; they look gone.
This summer has already gutted the squad that won Europe. Ezri Konsa went to Arsenal. Morgan Rogers joined Chelsea for a British record fee. Youri Tielemans and Lucas Digne are also gone. Losing Villa’s all-time Premier League top scorer on top of that, mid-Champions League campaign, is brutal. Holding onto a clearly unhappy forward who has no intention of staying would be worse, though. Villa must take whatever Al-Hilal put on the table north of £50 million and move fast.
The readymade answer is Nicolas Jackson. At 25, he replicates Watkins’ pressing profile and off-the-ball movement almost identically, and he already knows exactly how Emery operates after thriving under him at Villarreal. An 11-goal loan spell at Bayern Munich last season only added to that. Aston Villa have opened talks over a £65 million permanent deal, and given the existing relationship with Chelsea’s hierarchy, evidenced by the Rogers and Garnacho transfers, this one moves quickly if the club want it to.