Aston Villa sent Ollie Watkins Transfer warning after Supporting striker in Brentford Row

According to Alan Shearer, for Villa to be considered a real threat for the Premier League title in January, they will require reinforcements.

Villa is having a fantastic season under Nou Emery. The West Midlands team is just one point behind leaders Arsenal in the Premier League standings. After making it to the round of 16, they are also the favorites to win the Europa Conference League.

Much of Villa’s success is down to star striker Ollie Watkins, who has bagged nine Premier League goals this season. Only Erling Haaland (14), Mohamed Salah (11), Jarrod Bowen (10) and Son Heung-min (10) have found the net more frequently in England’s top tier.

Watkins, 27, scored Villa’s winner at his former club Brentford on Sunday and was involved in a row with

a fan who was ‘abusing him all game’. Villa have come out in support of Watkins, who insists he still ‘loves

the Bees after his three-year spell there.

Shearer is worried that Villa are too reliant on Watkins. He’s urged Emery to act in the transfer

window to ensure they have enough depth. If Villa beat Sheffield United on Friday and Arsenal

draw with Liverpool on Saturday, Emery’s side will be top at Christmas.

“My biggest concern with their squad would be their depth in forward positions, particularly as back-up

to their leading scorer Ollie Watkins, who has started all 17 of their league games so far,” said

Newcastle legend Shearer in his column for BBC Sport.

“Watkins is such an integral part of what they do, and I am not sure how they would cope without him…

They will also have the chance to bring in some reinforcements when the January transfer window

opens, and it is going to be interesting to see what happens then.”

Shearer has praised Villa for doing a “good job of keeping most of their key players fit so far”.

Tyrone Mings and Emiliano Buendia are both nursing serious knee injuries and it’s unclear when they

will return to fitness, while Bertrand Traore has a muscle complaint

In regards to Sunday’s fiery game, Villa won 2-1 thanks to Watkins’ late winner. Keane Lewis-Potter opened the scoring just before half-time, but Ben Mee’s red card in the 71st minute allowed Villa back into the game. Alex Moreno and Watkins then scored.

Boubacar Kamara was sent off for Villa in added-time, as tensions boiled over. In total, 10 players were

booked and two were sent off at the Gtech Community Stadium. Emery, who was also booked, will speak to his players about their conduct.

“It was a bit of a feisty game, it all spurred from my celebration but that’s not down to a lack of

respect for the fans,” explained Watkins after the game. “I love the club, the players and staff, I’ve not got a bad word to say against them.

“But there was one person who was abusing me all game, the celebration wasn’t to anyone else but

it was directed directly at him. (Frank) asked me why I had celebrated like that, I’m still on texting terms with him but it’s because of that reason.

“I think I’ve done a lot for the team and they’ve done a lot for me. Football is football, so jokes are

OK as long as they’re not personal. It’s up to the club if they don’t believe me, but Thomas knows that I wouldn’t act in such a way without cause because I’ve explained everything to him. That’s what transpired because it angered me.”

Villa issued a statement soon after Watkins’ interview following the game. With the highest respect

for the vast majority of Brentford supporters as well as the club, it stated: “Aston Villa FC wishes to

express its support for Ollie Watkins and we ask the authorities to investigate this incident in order to find this individual.” In football, there is no room for cruelty.”

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