Caleb-Watts-Player

ENGLAND-born Saints youngster Caleb Watts expressed his pride towards Australia following his Olyroos Olympic Games call-up, saying: “I feel very connected to the country.” Watts’ grandparents are from Australia and his Dad was born in the country, with the central midfielder representing them at under-17 level for the 2019 World Cup in Brazil. The side advanced to the knockout stages before falling 4-0 to eventual semi-finalists France, and Watts has also represented the under-23 side since. After making three Premier League appearances from the bench for Saints during the 2020-21 season, Watts’ raised profile has seen him selected by first team Australia manager Graham Arnold – who is also managing the Olyroos for the Games. Watts and his international team-mates kick off their Group C campaign on Thursday, when they take on Argentina at the Sapporo Dome. Egypt and Spain also occupy their tournament group. Speaking to the Olyroos official podcast, Watts said: “I feel very connected to the country, obviously I’ve got an English accent and all but I do feel more Australian than anything, especially when I stick that shirt on. “I think I was just in my bed and I got a call from Arnie saying I was in the squad. I kind of did like a double-take to really register what he said. “My mum is a massive Olympics fan, so she did a lot of screaming, but it was a nice surprise for her to wake up to.” It was however a famous British Olympic moment which Watts reflected fondly on. Asked of his Games memories, he added: “Yeah I think in London 2012 when Mo Farah won the 5000m, seeing how the excitement around the country bought people together, that’s one of the reasons I love sport, that’s a moment that sticks in my head. “I didn’t really know anyone coming here (the Australia camp) but everyone’s very friendly and we’re all here for the same reason. “I think after a couple of days everyone’s comfortable around everyone and the standard of training has been good.”

SAINTS youngster Caleb Watts is set to become an Olympian this summer, after being confirmed in Australia’s squad for Tokyo 2020. The 19-year-old, who has represented his country at under-17 and under-23 level, is set to be part of the Olyroos group making their return to the Games for the first time since 2008. It caps what has been a breakthrough season for Watts, who made his Saints senior debut against Shrewsbury in the FA Cup back in January. Watts had the choice of either representing England or Australia when he was younger, having been born in England to an Australian father. Asked why he chose to represent the Aussies, the teenager told the Saints website: “There’s a lot of national pride associated with playing for Australia. Making my grandparents proud, making my dad proud, I feel a real affinity towards the country, probably more so than I do England. “I think that England team at the time looked quite difficult to get into, there was a lot of competition. “I also really liked what the (Australian) coach, when he came to visit, had to say.” Now selected as part of the Olympic line-up, Watts will be part of the 16-nation tournament held between July 21 and August 7. Australia have been drawn in Group E alongside Egypt, Spain and Argentina. Watts came off the bench three times for Saints in the Premier League last season, during games against Arsenal, Everton and Manchester City. And he believes being in and around Saints’ first-team every day helped him develop as a player. “It’s been a huge learning curve,” said the youngster when asked to reflect on his breakthrough campaign. “Seeing first-team players all the time. Seeing their habits. “Players like Prowsey, you can pick up so much knowledge and information from how they operate on a day-to-day basis. “My target was to just get around the first team as much as possible. I thought last season I had a pretty weak season just because of the injuries etc and I knew I was capable of more. “But if I’m honest I probably didn’t see me getting this much time in the first team, but because of injuries and how I’ve performed it’s allowed me to have quite a good year I feel.”