Brentford’s hugely talented squad will not be playing in the Premier League next season and that might make them vulnerable in the transfer window.
Ollie Watkins is as highly-rated as any Bees player and Sky Sports reported Aston Villa’s interest last week.
Villa boss Dean Smith worked with Watkins at Brentford and Sky Sports reported the striker is keen on a reunion in the Midlands.
We’ve looked at three players already at Villa Park who would be impacted by Watkins’ arrival.
Keinan Davis
Young striker Davis found himself thrown in during certain games at the business end of last season as Smith went in search of a goalscoring formula.
A big-money striker coming through the door may limit his opportunities next time around.
That said, Davis may also be seen as a potential partner for Watkins if Smith decides to go with a two up front.
Either way, it seems likely Davis will be watching on with interest to see if Watkins signs on the dotted line.
Jack Grealish
For much of last season, Grealish was crying out for someone else to help him shoulder Villa’s attacking burden.
He was never fielded alongside a reliable goalscorer, and that meant he had to do a lot of work on his own.
Grealish should see his assists tally go up next time around if he is supplying the bullets for Watkins.
Watkins making runs in behind will also give opposition defenders something else to worry about, which should give Grealish more space than he was getting last season, when he was double-marked at times.
Wesley
Wesley was the striker Smith gambled on ahead of Villa’s first season back in the big time but it was cut short by a knee injury.
As per Premier Injuries, he could be back later this month, but may return to find Villa have a new first-choice hitman.
Going with Watkins’ pace in behind would also represent a departure from Wesley’s target man style.
That would pose some questions for Wesley, including whether he wants to depart to go somewhere he’d be the guaranteed first choice.
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