Former Premier League defender Glen Johnson stated that Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins would “bite your arm off” to join Chelsea this summer.
Watkins has been teasingly linked with a move away from Villa Park after his superb season under Unai Emery and his limited but impressive impact for England at Euro 2024.
Watkins, 28, had his best season to date last season, scoring 19 goals and making 13 assists to help Aston Villa finish fourth in the Premier League and qualify for the Champions League for the first time.
As Harry Kane’s backup, Watkins appeared to have an unsatisfactory and unremarkable Euro 2024 campaign, but the Villa player surprised everyone by coming off the bench to score an incredible and dramatic winner in the team’s semifinal victory over the Netherlands.
Johnson says he “can definitely see” Watkins heading to Chelsea, and Watkins’ influence has further fueled rumors that a premier European club may make a bid to Aston Villa this summer.
Chelsea, who replaced Mauricio Pochettino with Enzo Maresca at the end of the season, are in the market for a new striker to support Nicolas Jackson, who endured a mixed first 12 months at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues have held long-time interest in Victor Osimhen but the Nigerian, currently at Serie A side Napoli, is also a target for French champions PSG.
Asked if he believes Watkins would be prepared to leave Aston Villa and give up on Champions League football to join Chelsea, Johnson told Betfred: ‘If he 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.’
Arsenal urged to sign Ollie Watkins
Chelsea are not the only club looking to sign a striker this summer, with Arsenal also keen to bolster Mikel Arteta’s attacking options ahead of the new season.
The Gunners were strongly linked with a move for Benjamin Sesko before he signed a new contract at RB Leipzig and should now move for Watkins, according to William Gallas.
‘For Arsenal, I like Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins,’ the ex-Premier League star told Lord Ping.
’He has the pace you need to have as a striker and with a player like Martin Odegaard in behind him it would just be magnificent, think of all the assists.
‘It’s so difficult to defend against players like Ollie Watkins because he’s so clever with his runs, with Odegaard they would do so much damage. If I was at Arsenal I’d choose him.’