Ollie Watkins’ 17 Championship goals for Brentford have reportedly caught the eye of Premier League duo Crystal Palace and Sheffield United.
Ollie Watkins has definitively ruled out a move away from Brentford this month despite interest from Crystal Palace and Sheffield United in the £20 million-rated striker, speaking to Sky Sports.
It’s hard to believe, while watching the former Exeter City man lead the line so impressively for Thomas Frank’s buzzing bees, that Watkins only started playing as a centre-forward this season.
Previously a sprightly, speedy winger, plenty of cynics questioned whether the 24-year-old was capable of replacing Neal Maupay as the kingpin of Brentford’s forward line. But Watkins has silenced those doubters in style.
17 goals in 26 games is a remarkable return for a man still getting used to a new position, with a hat-trick of headers in September’s triumph over Barnsley a particularly eye-catching achievement.
According to West London Sport, both Crystal Palace and Sheffield United were hoping to lure Watkins to the Premier League during the January window. But with Brentford well placed to join The Eagles and The Blades in the big-time, Watkins is not going to walk away.
“I’m not going anywhere,” said Watkins, the EFL’s Young Player of the Year in 2017.
“If you’re doing well there’s always going to be some talk and interest around you. It means they’re enjoying what you’re doing on the pitch and that’s a nice feeling really, but I’ve just got to keep focused on my game and help the team to try and do something special this year.”
Shining alongside Said Benrahma and Bryan Mbeumo in Brentford’s so-called ‘BMW’ frontline, Watkins’s goals have driven the Bees into the play-off places with one of the Football League’s most exciting sides establishing themselves as the third best team in the Championship behind Leeds and West Brom.
And with Watkins determined to stick around, top flight football for the first time looks like a genuine possibility.
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