Gerrard gets a nice boost, 29 y/o nails a starting spot: AVFC player rumour emerges - opinion

There could be two big knock-on effects at Aston Villa if reports of Ollie Watkins leaving turn out to be true.

Having had a great first season at Villa Park following his move in the summer of 2020, scoring 16 goals in all competitions and earning his first call-up to the England side as a result, things have taken something of a backwards step this season for Watkins, as he’s only managed to bag six goals so far in 2021/22.

However, according to reports, those numbers are still enough for other teams in the Premier League to take notice. As per Football Insider, Watkins is attracting interest from the likes of Arsenal, noting that he is “on the target list of attackers that Mikel Arteta’s team want to sign in the main transfer window”.

What’s more, it seems as if Villa won’t put up much of a fight when it comes to getting rid of him, as the report also claims: “Villa will listen to offers for Watkins as manager Steven Gerrard is not convinced he is the A-list striker he needs,” and that “Gerrard is an admirer of the versatile forward but accepts that the super-ambitious Midlands giants could have to cash in on him.”

Having done some impressive work at Villa Park already, by taking them from just outside the relegation zone to a respectable place in mid-table, this upcoming summer will provide Gerrard the chance to double down.

Whether that means using it to bring back the so far impressive Philippe Coutinho on a permanent deal or to flesh out some of the positions in the side that will need reinforcements such as right-back and centre-forward, money brought in by the sale of Watkins could really help Gerrard to further mould the team in his own image.

One person this could be good news for is 29-year-old Danny Ings,