Declan Rice cited as Arsenal told they should have signed 'proven Premier League scorer for £50m'
Arsenal should have been in the conversation to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa this summer.
That is the opinion of former senior Villa scout, Bryan King, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
The 30-year-old ultimately moved to Al Hilal in a £51m deal in the final days of the window, before scoring a debut goal off the bench against Al Ahli on Tuesday.
Watkins scored 16 Premier League goals last season and 21 across all competitions - a tally that only Viktor Gyokeres matched for Arsenal.
The Gunners looked to bolster their attack this summer and after failing with a long pursuit of Vinicius Junior, hoped to convince Julian Alvarez to join them from Atletico Madrid.
But the forward is wedded to the idea of a move to Barcelona and has decided to stay in Spain, leaving Mikel Arteta's squad short in attack.
Arsenal should have sealed Ollie Watkins deal
An Arsenal move for Watkins would not have been massively surprising, but they would have undoubtedly hoped to pay a lower fee.
The Gunners attempted sign the striker in January 2025, and had a £40m bid turned down in the final days of the window.
Villa reportedly indicated that they would have let Watkins go for around £60m, but Arsenal were not interested at that price and ultimately signed Gyokeres in the summer.
Speaking to Football Insider, King said: "There's two players now who've moved to Al Hilal. I mean, if Spurs had been looking for a centre-forward, or if Arsenal were looking for a centre-forward, why not go for Watkins?
"I would've thought he'd have been the sort of player that would have fitted in well with [Declan] Rice. He'd have settled in quickly.
"The English players you've got, I mean, [Bukayo] Saka and Rice. Watkins would have been a good option, wouldn't he? And at £50m, I can't understand why they're not in the equation with the Saudi club."
"You're talking about a player now that could cost anywhere between £120m and £150m, Alvarez. Bloody Watkins costs £50m! A proven Premier League goal scorer," he added.
Watkins would have jumped at Arsenal chance
Watkins is a self-admitted Arsenal fan, and undoubtedly would have jumped at the chance to join Ezri Konsa in North London.
The 30-year-old scored seven goals in 13 games against the Gunners, and spoke after he had netted a brace at the Emirates Stadium in 2020.
"I’m not sure my grandad or uncle Baz are going to be too happy," Watkins admitted after the game.
"They are Arsenal fans & I am an Arsenal fan myself - but I’m buzzing. I am sure they will love it really. I am over the moon."