Aston Villa sent Ollie Watkins transfer warning following Brentford win

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Ollie Watkins 2022-23 AVFC
Ollie Watkins in action

Alan Shearer thinks Aston Villa need to sign a new striker.

The Villians are enjoying an excellent season, and after winning 12 of their first 17 games, sit third in the Premier League table on 38 points — just one behind leaders Arsenal.

And a large part of the side’s success has come from Ollie Watkins, 27, who has already scored nine league goals, including a late winner against Brentford last weekend.

However, despite the Torquay-born striker’s prolific form, Shearer believes manager Unai Emery must provide the 27-year-old with some much-needed cover.

“My biggest concern with their squad would be their depth in forward positions, particularly as back-up to their leading scorer Ollie Watkins, who has started all 17 of their league games so far,” the Newcastle legend wrote in his BBC Sport column.

“Watkins is such an integral part of what they do, and I am not sure how they would cope without him… They will also have the chance to bring in some reinforcements when the January transfer window opens, and it is going to be interesting to see what happens then.”

After penning a new deal that has extended his stay in the Midlands until 2028, Watkins, according to Spotrac, now earns £130,000-per week.

Elsewhere, when it comes to Villa’s potential January business on the whole, not many players have been linked with arriving at Villa Park but some, including on-loan defender Clement Lenglet, are rumoured to be on their way out.

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