Former defender urges Chelsea to sign Euro 2024 cult star from PL rivals
Former England defender Glen Johnson has recently come out suggesting Chelsea should go after star Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
The England international was one of the best forwards in the Premier League last season and was recently in the news after firing the Three Lions into the Euro 2024 final with a late goal against the Netherlands.
Speaking to Betfred, Johnson had this to say about Watkins:
“If he [Watkins] got the opportunity to sign for Chelsea I think he’d bite their arm off.
“Aston Villa had a great season and qualified for the Champions League, but Chelsea’s still Chelsea and I’m sure they’ll bounce back. Ollie would definitely improve them and I can definitely see that deal happening.
“I can see reasons for why he’d stay at Villa and for why he’d move to Chelsea. He didn’t get a lot of gametime at the Euros but when he got onto the pitch, England looked like a better team.”
Johnson, as quoted by Football London.
Watkins is far from the only striker linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this summer. The Blues have been searching for answers for their goal-scoring issues and have been linked with the likes of Jonathan David, Viktor Gyökeres, Julián Álvarez, Jhon Duran, Victor Osimhen, and Samu Omorodion in recent weeks.
Villa, set to play in the Champions League this season, are expected to ask in the region of £70-80 million for their star striker, whose £130k a week contract at Villa Park is set to run until June 2028.
In his four seasons playing for the Villains, Watkins has made 169 appearances across all competitions, scoring 70 goals and providing 26 assists. (Source: Transfermarkt)
A fair few of the strikers Chelsea are linked with are either too young to help them in the here and now or “project” prospects like Nicolas Jackson who could potentially hamper the Senegal international’s growth as well as their own if they were to arrive at Stamford Bridge.
Planning for the future is a good thing, but Chelsea also need answers in the here and now. This is where Watkins comes in. At 28, he’s in the prime of his career and in the form of his life. Sure, Chelsea will need to go some way to buy him from Villa, but if there ever was a case to be made to break the bank for a signing, this would be it.
In short, Watkins is the kind of striker the current Chelsea setup is screaming out for.
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