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…
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.