Kolo Toure has praised Aston Villa striker, Ollie Watkins, as a ‘great talent’ after the Arsenal transfer target scored on his first start for England.
The 26-year-old wasn’t initially called up by Gareth Southgate, before an injury to Tammy Abraham opened the door for him and he took it with both hands, as ex-Arsenal man, Toure, called him ‘very intelligent’ in his play.
Watkins is the all-round striker that can lead the line on his own, play off the shoulder, hold the ball up, defend from the front, as well as play across the front three, mainly out on the left.
With the 2022 World Cup in Qatar around the corner, Villa’s leading striker is one of the players fighting for his place.
He didn’t do himself any harm by impressing on his latest trip with the England squad, as Toure bigged up the former Brentford man on Sky Sports Football (29/03/22 at 10:30 pm).
“He has got great talent, this boy,” said Toure. “I like his attitude. Technically, he is decent.
“A very intelligent player. You can see on the goal he scored (for England). He thinks and reads the game. And that’s why he gets that moment and scores that goal. I really like this boy.”
Villa fans may not like to hear it, but it seems as though Watkins’ goalscoring talents are on the radar of Arsenal’s and have been for some while.
Mikel Arteta, ahead of next season, where they could possibly be playing Champions League football, is looking for a striker.
Alexandre Lacazette and Eddie Nketiah are the out-and-out options he can pick from, but they are out-of-contract in the summer, so it makes the forthcoming transfer window even more important for the club.
Either way, if the Gunners do come knocking on Villa’s door, then the fee rising to £33 million (Sky Sports) they paid for Watkins will just be a benchmark of what they want.
Plus, with Steven Gerrard at the helm, Villa, as proven by the money they have thrown at the market, are seriously ambitious about getting back into the top six.
So, selling Watkins is probably going to be met with a slam of the door, but at the end of the day, money talks.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
