Aston Villa have experienced a huge leap in quality since Unai Emery took charge of the club in October 2022, with their push for European football prevailing in his debut season in the Midlands.
There have been many elements to the Spaniard’s success on his return to the Premier League, with the improvement of individual performance and change in trajectory of expectation at Villa Park being key to their recent form.
One player that has been a star performer during Emery’s reign is Ollie Watkins, who was one of the many driving forces behind the Villans’ climb up the table to reach the highs of a European spot finish.
The Englishman has raised the bar in areas of his game that have inspired his teammates to follow, with him ending last campaign as Villa’s leading talisman and writing himself into the record books at the club.
Watkins became the first player in Villa’s history to score in five consecutive Premier League games, as he cemented himself as an integral part of Emery’s plans going forward.
It was only three years ago that the 27-year-old arrived in the Midlands, with talks now speculated over an opening to extend his stay at the club.
How much was Ollie Watkins worth at Brentford?
In 2017, Brentford signed Exeter City’s 21-year-old forward on the back of his 16-goal season with the south-west club that pushed the side to the play-offs in the 2016/17 campaign.
The manager of the Bees at the time was Dean Smith, who saw a lot in the youngster, dubbing him as a player with an “awful lot of potential” following his arrival in the capital.
At the point of his signing, FootballTransfers has recorded his expected transfer value (xTV) as being in the region of €2.2m (£1.9m), which rose to €23.7m (£20.4m) in just three years.
It’s no surprise that the Torquay-born gem’s value has soared so quickly, as he has set the tone for others in the squad to follow, netting a total of 49 goals in 143 appearances for Brentford, leading them to the playoffs in his final season of 2019/20 with
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