Soccer Football - Premier League - Brighton & Hove Albion v Aston Villa - The American Express Community Stadium, Brighton, Britain - February 26, 2022 Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins celebrates scoring their second goal Action Images via Reuters/Andrew Boyers EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Journalist Paul Brown has made a claim regarding West Ham United and a potential move for Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins.
The lowdown: Hammers interest
David Moyes is expected to pursue additional attacking options in the summer transfer market in order to offer support to Michail Antonio.
Despite links to a plethora of targets previously, the Irons have failed to add a recognised frontman to the London Stadium ranks and appear set to lose another option in the shape of Andriy Yarmolenko.
Following a report from The Guardian earlier this week claiming that the Hammers were interested in the 26-year-old Watkins, one journalist has assessed the potential move…
The latest: ‘He’d fit in perfectly’
Speaking to Give Me Sport, Brown suggested that the seven-cap England man is ideally suited to West Ham.
He said: “I can see why West Ham would want him; I think he’d fit in perfectly. You could even play Watkins and Antonio at times, either way round, one in front of the other, or switching, or in a two.
“And if they were to be in Europe next season, you’d probably need two strikers like that just subbing in for each other, even if you only played with one up top every game, so I can see the logic.”
The verdict: Spot on
Boasting impressive aerial ability for his size and capable of playing across a front three (WhoScored), Watkins – who was described as ‘outstanding’ by ex-Villa boss Dean Smith – would be a superb addition to the Hammers’ ranks and Moyes’ preferred style moreover.
So far this season, the Englishman has netted ten times and provided one assist in 31 Premier League outings, earning a 6.91 Sofascore rating in the process whilst taking 2.2 shots, winning 4.5 duels and playing 84 minutes per game on average – attributes and important durability that would be welcomed in east London.
However, one stumbling block for the Irons and indeed GSB is a £31.5million perceived market valuation and a Villa Park contract until 2025 (Transfermarkt), making Watkins an expensive option for the notoriously frugal spenders.
In other news: West Ham interested in ‘ideal’ Serie A ace! Find out more here.
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