Chelsea recently looked at Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins as an option to strengthen their attack, according to transfer news expert Ben Jacobs on the Debrief Podcast.
Watkins has really caught the eye at Villa Park in recent times, with Unai Emery’s side flying high in the Premier League and perhaps even looking like outsiders in this year’s title race.
Football Transfers have reported on Arsenal holding talks over signing Watkins, and it’s fair to say the Gunners would also benefit from someone like him coming in up front to give them more of a goal threat than Gabriel Jesus or Eddie Nketiah currently provide.
Still, see below as Ben Jacobs details Chelsea’s search for a striker, with the journalist mentioning Chelsea’s recent interest in Watkins before he signed a new deal at Villa…
? EXCLUSIVE ?
? "I think Chelsea want an elite striker…"
?? @JacobsBen tells @AngusScott that #CFC want Harry Kane 'but a bit younger'
? Full episode of the Debrief here: https://t.co/k2IuadDCiZ pic.twitter.com/d4MGQ6TVQg
— CaughtOffside (@caughtoffside) December 19, 2023
Chelsea signed Nicolas Jackson in the summer but it’s fair to say he still looks a little unconvincing at this level, even if he’s still young enough to improve with time and provide a good long-term option in the future.
Watkins would surely tick a lot of boxes for both Chelsea and Arsenal, and it will be interesting to see if he comes onto their radar again, or if both London clubs end up battling for Ivan Toney and others in that all-important centre-forward position.
As Jacobs notes, however, there really aren’t too many options on the market at the moment, with both clubs perhaps in need of a younger version of Harry Kane, with Victor Osimhen perhaps the closest to that, while Erling Haaland is out of reach since his move to Manchester City.
Rather Ollie went to Chelsea than Arsenal as Arsenal need more of a loan TargetMan than a ball running striker. Forget Solanke, his 19 goals from 130 odd games is worst than any striker we already have at the club, so why would he even get a mention is beyond stupidity. Toney is aging and has no sell on value, so according to Transfer market is worth £30 million, I would say more like £40 million, but no more. Any striker coming to Arsenal should improve his goal scoring opportunities and score more goals, but they desperately need a strong TargetMan that is also a technical passer of the ball to fit the Arsenal style of play. Not easy to find.