Aston Villa’s hopes of playing Champions League football for the second time in three seasons are on hold ahead of the final half of the 2025/26 campaign.
Although Unai Emery’s side are fourth in the Premier League, Liverpool and Chelsea are breathing a sigh of relief. The team has been stretched and the success in reaching the final stage of the Europa League comes with the result of fatigue.
John McGinn’s return from injury proved vital for the Villans to regain their form and score a couple of crucial goals in their recent win, but Emery will still need to see some sharpness from his centre-backs, with Ollie Watkins absent from his number nine.
Ollie Watkins’ form at Aston Villa
When Aston Villa signed Tammy Abraham from Besiktas for around £17m in January, it was an acknowledgment that more power was needed at the front of the ship.
Jhon Duran has been sold to Al Nassr for £71m in January 2025, and the England international’s power has begun to wane. He is only 30 years old but he has worked hard for many years now, and he probably feels sad.
While Watkins has scored nine goals in 30 Premier League appearances this season, he has also missed 15 big chances. He’s never been a great striker, but his power and his movement and his ability as a forward make any mistake.
Recent reports suggest that Emery is open to selling the striker, and considering his five league goals have been combined in the purple this winter, it’s understandable.
|
Ollie Watkins’ Premier League career (season) |
||
|---|---|---|
|
The season |
Applications |
Terms + Help |
|
25/26 |
30 |
9 + 1 |
|
24/25 |
38 |
16 + 8 |
|
23/24 |
37 |
19 + 15 |
|
22/23 |
37 |
15 + 6 |
|
21/22 |
35 |
11 + 2 |
|
20/21 |
37 |
14 + 5 |
Given that Abraham has yet to get his countryman out, there may be an opportunity for someone to step up and prove themselves capable of acting as Emery’s top striker, one youngster who will have the opportunity to do just that.
Aston Villa’s new Jhon Duran
Duran was a bona fide maverick at Villa Park. The amazing striker scored goals for fun – literally. He enjoyed controlling the chaos in the final third as the last Super Sub in Emery’s team, but the financial power of the Saudi Pro League convinced him to put his sporting ambitions on hold, and his career has hit a cliff.
It’s not a problem for Aston Villa, in fact, and with the signing of a new version of the Colombian in Brian Madjo, there is more reason to be optimistic as Watkins seems to be starting to decline.
The 17-year-old is one of the most exciting young strikers in England, and joined in a deal worth more than £10m in January from Ligue 1 side Metz.
You haven’t heard anything about Madjo since the beginning of the calendar year, and this is due to the long hold on registration. The wait will be worth it, though. Already standing at 6 foot 2 and possessing immense power as a striker for a club like Villa, he has described football scout Antonio Mango as a “beast”.
This is no doubt a young and untested prospect, but Duran was also a new recruit when he joined the club from Colorado Rapids, and Madjo’s profile suggests Emery has moved to repeat the trick there.
With the fitness of the football side and the hunger for so many goals, the young man can surely prove that Watkins has improved greatly, the next Duran.
However, as he continues to develop over the next few years, perhaps it would be best to keep Watkins at the club for the sake of visibility.
Aston Villa are holding talks to sign a bigger talent than Rogers for £60m
Aston Villa will have a strong hand in the transfer market if they qualify for the Champions League.
