Ollie Watkins was heavily linked with a £60m Arsenal move in January but the transfer never materialised

If things had gone differently in January, Ollie Watkins might have been taking the field for Arsenal rather than Aston Villa this Saturday. The 29-year-old was strongly linked with a high-profile move to the Emirates Stadium last season, but no agreement was ever reached between the two clubs.

Arsenal's reluctance mainly came down to price. Villa were asking for around £60million, a number the Gunners considered too high for a striker approaching 30.

By the midway point of last season, Watkins had established himself as one of the Premier League's most reliable and prolific forwards. Under usual circumstances, Villa would have dismissed any suggestion of selling but financia

See Full Page