Aston Villa are in talks with Ollie Watkins over signing a new contract. The striker is in the final two years of his current deal which he signed in the summer of 2020 after joining Villa from Brentford. It means he is due to enter the final 12 months of his contract after the end of this season unless he pens fresh terms. Watkins scored his second hat-trick of the season in all competitions at the weekend in Villa’s 6-1 thrashing over Brighton. Under Unai Emery, Watkins has recorded 28 goal contributions in 37 matches and the Villa head coach is hopeful his striker will soon commit his long-term future to the club.
“We are in talks,” Emery said before the win over Brighton. “Really, hopefully he is going to sign for a long time with us.
“I am very happy, and I think his commitment with us is really high every day, his behaviour. He is an example for other players and his performances as well are always at a good level for us. Sometimes scoring more goals, sometimes scoring less, but always doing his work.”
After the win over Brighton, Emery said: “We are in talks and Ollie Watkins, his commitment for the club and his work is really, really great. I think he is very happy here and we are very happy with him. He is improving here and he is taking his proper objective as well with the club and with his teammates.
“Today was a very good example of the consequences of how he is committed with his teammates and how he is trying to be demanding to learn every day. Today was a very good match for him. The team helped him but he played and he did very good work, scoring goals and working defensively as well to help the team.”
Watkins was also quizzed on signing a new contract after full-time at Villa Park on Saturday. He told TNT Sports: “I just try and let my football do the talking. My goal is to score goals and help the team win. What happens off the pitch is separate.”
