Ollie Watkins transforms his earnings with 'generational' deal as Aston Villa move finalised

Aston Villa should have always expected and planned for Ollie Watkins' exit this summer. 

That is according to former Villa chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that there is “blame on both sides” as the player’s time with the Villans is on the verge of ending.

This comes after the news that the striker’s move to Al Hilal in a £50million package deal is all-but confirmed, with a medical reportedly set to take place in the coming days.

Watkins’s absence from Villa’s defeat at Brighton last weekend saw him face significant criticism from the supporters, but Wyness has “sympathy” with the 30-year-old’s stance. 

It has since been suggested that the frontman missed the game due to him not training with Unai Emery’s squad in the days leading up to the match.

It proved to be a controversial end for a player who has scored over 100 goals for the second city outfit. 

Ollie Watkins saga ‘didn’t have to come to this’

Villa’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Villa Park between 2016 and 2018 and now runs a consultancy business advising elite clubs – believes that things would have been much smoother had his former club been better prepared for Watkins’ exit this summer. 

The former Brentford man is out of contract in the summer of 2028, and Wyness feels that he was always likely to depart ahead of this season, after several failed attempts to prise him away in recent years. 

Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, the Scottish businessman explained why he can understand the player’s point of view.

“I don't normally have a lot of sympathy for players, but in this case, I think I do,” he said.

“From my point of view, Watkins was going to be going at some stage fairly soon, and Villa knew that, and so they should have had a succession plan in place.

“I mean, the difference for Watkins and where I understand it is that a move to Saudi for him would be generational change in wealth compared to a new contract at Villa.

“I think Watkins has been a very good servant for Villa and so I think he had to make a decision about where his future was going to be.

“I'm not going fully on his side, because he is under contract, but I do think there's blame on both sides here in terms of the way this has been handled, and it didn't have to come to this.”

Aston Villa eye swoop for Leicester City forward

Football Insider revealed earlier this week that Villa and Arsenal have both registered their interest in Leicester City forward Lorenz Hutchinson ahead of the 1 September transfer deadline.

The 18-year-old is out of contract at the King Power Stadium in June 2027, and the Foxes are prepared to listen to offers for him as a result.

Hutchinson has represented England at U18 level, and notched 15 goals in 15 games in the U18 Premier League last term.

Villa and Arsenal are both huge admirers of the promising young forward, while Italian side Lazio have also made an enquiry.