Ollie Watkins' expected departure from Aston Villa for Saudi Arabian club Al Hilal has taken an uncomfortable turn, with the striker's absence from Sunday's 4-0 defeat at Brighton raising fresh questions about how his time at the club will be remembered.
Manager Unai Emery offered a curt response when asked about Watkins' whereabouts before the match, simply saying "Silence," and later suggested the forward had refused to play. Watkins is now widely expected to complete a move to the Middle East, a switch that would bring substantial financial reward but risks damaging the reputation of a player who has long been regarded as one of the Premier League's more grounded success stories.
Watkins arrived at Villa Park without any prior top-flight experience, having risen through the divisions with Exeter City. He went on to become the club's record signing and established himself as one of the most consistent forwards in the country, recording double-digit Premier League goal tallies in each of the last six seasons. In his final home appearance, he scored twice in a win over Manchester City, and across his last five matches for the club he found the net six times. Notably, the one game in that stretch he failed to score came in the Europa League final, which Villa won.
His standing in Villa's history was cemented early, highlighted by a hat-trick in the memorable 7-2 thrashing of Liverpool in 2020. He later became the first Villa player since Peter McParland in 1962 to reach a century of goals for the club, a gap that spans several generations of notable Villa forwards.
Despite that legacy, signs of tension had been building. In April 2025, after scoring heavily against Newcastle, Watkins admitted he was frustrated at being given only a short appearance in the Champions League quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, with Marcus Rashford preferred instead. He said he was "fuming" about the decision. His reported willingness to leave now would mean forgoing involvement in Villa's return to the Champions League group stage—something he had seemingly craved just months earlier.
Interest in Watkins had also come from elsewhere, with Arsenal reportedly keen in January 2025 and Manchester United following in the subsequent transfer window, underlining his growing reputation across the league.
His potential exit forms part of a wider summer of upheaval at Villa Park, a squad reshaped partly in response to financial fair play pressures. Morgan Rogers left for a club-record £117million fee, Youri Tielemans departed via a release clause that still yielded a reported £35million profit, and Lucas Digne's long-rumored departure finally materialized. Goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez was replaced by Zion Suzuki even before his own move was finalized.
More unexpected, according to reports, were the departures of defender Ezri Konsa, sold for around £51million despite being close to 29, and now potentially Watkins himself—both regarded as core members of the squad built under previous managers Steve Bruce, Dean Smith, and Steven Gerrard, and inherited by Emery.
With experienced figures leaving, only John McGinn and Tyrone Mings would remain from that group should the exodus continue, raising concerns about the loss of leadership and know-how that helped Villa navigate difficult periods under Emery. Watkins' scoring record—at least 16 Premier League goals in each of the past three seasons—will be especially hard to replace, even with promising performances from young forward Brian Madjo in the Super Cup against PSG offering some optimism. Tammy Abraham's underwhelming form this year, meanwhile, highlights the inconsistency of Villa's recent forward-line recruitment.
While the financial logic behind a Saudi move is clear, the manner of Watkins' potential departure—refusing to feature and forcing an awkward stand-off with his manager—threatens to leave a lasting mark on how his six years at Villa Park are ultimately remembered.
Based on reporting from The Independent.