Unai Emery has built a fantastic squad since he took over as Aston Villa manager in October 2022. The Villans have invested wisely under the Spaniard, and as a result, he has led them back to the Champions League after several decades away from the competition.
One thing that the former Arsenal boss has done well at Villa Park is put his trust in academy products. Villa’s academy has procured some fantastic players over the past few years, and the likes of Jacob Ramsey and Jaden Philogene have played a big part this season.
However, there is another academy graduate, no longer at the club, who the Villans may wish had a chance to play Champions League football for the club. That man is their record sale, Jack Grealish.
Grealish’s Villa career
For eight seasons of his career, boyhood Villans supporter Grealish got to live his childhood dream of playing for the club he was a fan of his entire life. There were highs and lows for the enterprising attacker during his time at Villa Park, but he certainly made a mark at the club.
The Birmingham-born attacker played 213 times for the club, scoring 32 goals and grabbing 41 assists. He had some standout seasons, with his final three campaigns in Claret and Blue the best of the bunch.
Grealish registered 12 goal involvements in 2018/19 to help Villa get promoted back to the Premier League after a three-year absence. In the following two campaigns, he registered 14 and 16 goals and assists, respectively, to ensure they kept their top-flight status.
His sparkling form ensured the England international got a major move in 2021 for £100m, a then-British record. He left his boyhood club for pastures new, moving to Manchester City.
He has now played 135 times under Pep Guardiola and helped them to win the treble in the 2022/23 campaign.
Losing Grealish was no doubt painful for the Villans, and the fans would surely have loved to see him play for the club in Europe. Given the success of the side, there are now several players in the squad who could fetch large sums like their academy graduate.
Villa’s next big sale
One of the men who could become Villa’s next Grealish-like sale is Ollie Watkins. The England international has a fantastic record for the club and has particularly excelled over the past few seasons under Emery.
In 184 appearances in Claret and Blue, the centre-forward has scored 75 goals and has 29 assists to his name. That works out at an impressive 0.56 goals and assists per game, a superb and consistent ratio.
Last term was comfortably Watkins’ best in a Villa shirt. The former Brentford striker scored 19 goals and grabbed 13 assists in 37 Premier League games, as well as scoring five times in the Europa Conference League. According to Statmuse, his 32 goals and assists in the top flight were only bettered by Chelsea’s Cole Palmer, with 33.
Statistical comparisons can be drawn between Watkins and Galatasaray striker Victor Osimhen – as has been noted by FBref in their similar players model.
The 25-year-old Nigerian is on loan in Turkey from Napoli and already has eight goals and four assists in nine games across all competitions. That is slightly more than Watkins’ five goals and two assists in 11 Premier League games this term.
Indeed, their shooting stats on FBref are certainly similar after a successful season so far for both players. Although the Nigeria international averages far more shots per game, with 7.2 compared to 2.79 for Villa’s number 11, they both average 0.19 goals per shot and almost the same number of goals per shot on target each game; 0.45 for Watkins and 0.46 for Osimhen.
Stat (per 90)
Watkins
Osimhen
Goals
0.54
1.36
Shots
2.79
7.2
Goals per shot
0.19
0.19
Goals per shot on target
0.45
0.46
Shots on target %
42.3%
40.6%
Watkins, described as “elite” by football statistician Statman Dave, could become the Villans’ next big sale.
Given their similarities, it is not too far-fetched to think he could sell for a similar value as Osimhen’s release clause at Napoli, which is £113m. At the very least, the Midlands club could be looking at another £100m sale.
It does not seem likely that Emery will allow Watkins to leave Villa Park, given his importance. However, should a sizeable bid be placed on their star centre-forward, it might be hard to turn it down if it is a big enough offer.
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