Ollie Watkins extends stay at Aston Villa with new long-term contract

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has signed a new long-term contract at the club. The forward, recalled to the England squad this week, is believed to have penned a five-year deal and has scored 50 goals for Villa since joining from Brentford in 2020. He netted 15 times last season to help Villa return to Europe and had been in talks over a new deal for around six months. Boss Unai Emery said: “He is always very demanding, to learn and improve. He is doing that here. I have been working with him more or less for one year and today is the same as the first day, our method in the training ground.” Watkins has scored seven times this season, including two hat-tricks, ahead of Sunday’s trip to Wolves. And he believes Villa Park is the best place for his career to develop further as he targeted the Champions League under Emery. “I’m really happy,” he told the club’s official website. “I feel like this is the best place for me to play my football. I’ve still got a lot to achieve here. “You can see the direction of the club and I want to be a part of that. “We’re only getting started. The boss has been here for a year and you’ve seen the form and progression of players. “There are other levels we can get to. Hopefully we can push on and get to the Champions League spots – that’s the aim.” Read More Roy Hodgson admits Crystal Palace are in midst of a ‘serious injury crisis’ Mikel Arteta: Arsenal must be at best in every department to beat Man City We’re not top-four contenders: Unai Emery plays down Aston Villa’s strong start