Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has offered an emotional farewell to Ollie Watkins as the striker prepares to finalize a £51m move to Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. The 30-year-old, who joined Villa from Brentford for £28m in 2020, leaves the club as their record Premier League goalscorer with 91 goals and a total of 108 across all competitions.
Emery revealed that Watkins apologized to both the coaching staff and his teammates for making himself unavailable for the recent match against Brighton. “He told us after the Brighton match he was sorry and that he had made a mistake. He was wrong, but we accepted it,” Emery stated, praising the forward’s character. “His commitment and his behaviour was fantastic. He’s a fantastic guy—even more than a player. I told him ‘bye’ with a huge hug and with small tears.”
To fill the void left by Watkins, Villa is poised to complete the signing of Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson for £65m. The club is working to ensure the Senegal international is registered in time for Monday’s Premier League fixture against Arsenal.
Addressing the broader squad overhaul following a successful 2025-26 campaign, Emery urged supporters to trust the club’s strategic decisions. “We took decisions because it’s good for the club. Of course, we don’t want to be a club that sells players, but the responsibility is there,” he explained, noting significant transfer fees received for experienced players, including £50m for 28-year-old Ezri Konsa. “How we developed in the last year with some players and how we can sell some players now is completely the right decision. We have to rebuild the team as fast as possible.”
As part of this ongoing rebuild, Villa secured the arrival of Leon Goretzka on a free transfer this Thursday. The midfielder, who brings extensive experience from his time at Bayern Munich where he won seven Bundesliga titles and the Champions League, is expected to bolster the squad immediately.
“He is a winner. He is a very competitive player—a good player to add into our squad,” Emery said of the new signing. “He is versatile and arrives fit and training well. Hopefully on Monday he can be on the field.” The report also notes that watkins is the latest experienced player to leave Villa this summer and Emery urged supporters to back the club’s strategy despite the loss of several key figures in their successful 2025-26 season. The report also notes that [Fans] have to accept our way and why we are taking some decisions.
