Ollie Watkins Apologizes to Villa Before Al-Hilal Move

Ollie Watkins, a 30-year-old striker, apologized to his Aston Villa teammates after he made himself unavailable for the Premier League match against Brighton, as revealed by manager Unai Emery. Watkins is set to complete a £51 million move to Saudi Arabian club Al-Hilal, concluding his five-year tenure at Villa, where he became the club's record Premier League goalscorer with 91 league goals and 108 in all competitions since joining from Brentford for £28 million in 2020.

Emery noted that Watkins admitted his mistake after the Brighton match, and both he and the squad accepted his apology. Emery paid tribute to Watkins, praising his commitment and behavior during his time at the club.

Aston Villa has agreed to a £65 million deal to sign Nicolas Jackson from Chelsea as Watkins' replacement and is working to register him in time for the match against Arsenal. Additionally, Villa has strengthened its midfield with the free transfer of Leon Goretzka from Bayern Munich.