Watkins apologised to Villa squad before exit

Ollie Watkins apologised to his Aston Villa teammates after making himself unavailable for the club’s Premier League match against Brighton, manager Unai Emery has revealed.

The 30-year-old striker is set to complete a £51m move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal, bringing an end to his five-year spell at Villa.

Emery said Watkins admitted his mistake after the Brighton match and that both he and the squad accepted his apology.

As reported by BBC Sport on Friday, Emery was quoted as saying, “He told us after the Brighton match he was sorry and that he had made a mistake. He was wrong, but we accepted it. The players as well.”

The England international leaves Villa as the club’s record Premier League goalscorer, having scored 91 league goals and 108 in all competitions since joining from Brentford for £28m in 2020.

Emery paid an emotional tribute to Watkins, praising his conduct throughout his time at the club.

“His commitment and his behaviour was fantastic. He’s a fantastic guy – a fantastic guy even more than a player,” he said.

“I told him ‘bye’ with a huge hug and with small tears.”

Villa have agreed a £65m deal to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea as Watkins’ replacement, with the club working to register the Senegal striker in time for Monday’s match against Arsenal.

Emery said the arrival of Jackson marks the beginning of a new chapter for Villa.

“But now it’s a new chapter here with Nicolas Jackson,” he said.

Watkins is the latest experienced player to leave Villa this summer, but Emery defended the club’s transfer strategy and insisted the sales were made in the best interests of the club.

“We took decisions because it’s good for the club,” Emery said.

“Of course, we don’t want to be a club that sells players, but the responsibility is there.”

Villa have also strengthened their midfield with the free transfer of Leon Goretzka from Bayern Munich. The German midfielder arrives with seven Bundesliga titles and a Champions League trophy to his name.

“He is a winner. He is a very competitive player – a good player to add into our squad,” Emery said.

“He is versatile and arrives fit and training well. Hopefully on Monday he can be on the field.”