Sky Sports pundit David Prutton believes Ollie Watkins has the ability to play in the Premier League, and Arsenal should act quickly to snap the striker up, especially after he has previously outlined his desire to play for the Gunners.
Speaking in Sky Sports’ debate about who should be the Player of the Year in the Championship, Prutton hailed Watkins’ ability and suggested he will be playing in the top flight soon regardless of whether Brentford gain promotion or not.
Watkins, however, deserves the credit for what he has done this season in terms of switching positions – from a wide player to a striker.
He really has lit up the league and had so many excellent performances, and the type of goals he has scored have impressed me.
He isn’t scoring the types of goals a winger playing as a striker would, they are proper No 9 goals. He is Brentford’s chance of getting to the Premier League, and you imagine he will be there one way or another soon enough, anyway.
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All things considered, signing Watkins looks as though it could be an excellent move for Arsenal. The 24-year-old has spearheaded Brentford’s push for promotion this season, as Prutton highlights, with the forward scoring 22 goals and creating three assists in just 37 league outings thus far.
And when you consider how he wasn’t an out-an-out striker this time last year, that’s a hugely impressive return.
It also bodes well for the future, as if he is this potent in front of goal in his first season as a number nine, that record is likely to only improve as he gets more acclimatised to the role.
Furthermore, as previously mentioned, Watkins revealed at the London Football Awards in an interview with journalist Callum Room that moving to Arsenal would be a “dream” move for him.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future is also the subject of a lot of debate at the moment, with the striker addressing that in a discussion with Kevin Prince Boateng on Instagram earlier this week.
And if the Arsenal skipper does leave, Watkins could be a natural target, with the likes of Alexandre Lacazette and Gabriel Martinelli already at the club – not to mention his ability to play out wide as well as a central striker.
However, they may have to act quickly, considering how the likes of Crystal Palace and Sheffield United were credited with an interest in the £25 million striker in January.
