Aston Villa’s fatal transfer error explains alarming Ollie Watkins drop off
When Aston Villa are flying, Ollie Watkins is normally at the top of his game, but that isn’t the case in 2025/26.
Villa’s 4-0 victory over Bournemouth, their fifth in six Premier League matches, saw them move one point behind the Champions League places.
Surprisingly, Watkins wasn’t one of the four scorers on Sunday, as the 29-year-old extended his run to five league matches without scoring.
The former Brentford sharpshooter has only found the net once across all competitions, and that was during Aston Villa’s 3-1 win against Fulham in September.
As a result, Watkins has been omitted from Thomas Tuchel’s England squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Serbia, signalling his rapid decline.
Aston Villa failed to sign a clinical striker to rival Ollie Watkins
A major reason Watkins’ form has taken a dramatic tumble is down to Villa’s lack of investment in a quality striker.
Aston Villa did sign Evann Guessand from OGC Nice, but he’s mainly been utilised as a right winger for Unai Emery and hasn’t found the net in 10 league appearances.
So, it can be argued that the Villans don’t currently have a forward capable of removing Watkins from his striker spot, and therefore punishing him for his lack of clinical edge.
Watkins’ return of just one goal from an xG of 2.3, as well as four big chances missed and a goal conversion of six per cent, proves he’s not found his shooting boots in 2025/26.
Last season, however, it was the complete opposite for the Englishman, who had Jhon Duran breathing down his neck for a place in the starting lineup.
Aston Villa are missing Jhon Duran
In the first half of the 2024/25 campaign, Duran emerged as a super sub for Emery, scoring six goals from the bench by December 2024.
But despite saving his side’s bacon on numerous occasions, including with a strike against Bayern Munich in the Champions League, the 21-year-old struggled to dislodge Watkins from his perch.
The Colombian powerhouse made just four Premier League starts last term, and that frustrated the youngster, who was desperate to play regularly.
That is why Duran joined Al Nassr in January 2025, scoring 12 goals in 18 appearances before moving to Fenerbahce on loan in the summer.
Duran’s departure is arguably the reason Watkins’ form has suffered in 2025/26, as he no longer has the pressure of performing to keep his place.