Arsenal are going through a striker crisis after Kai Havertz’s hamstring injury but they might have got their new no.9 in Mikel Merino. However, things could have been entirely different and Ollie Watkins could have been playing in an Arsenal shirt right now. But a strong bid in the region of £60m from the Gunners was rejected by Villa.
Watkins had a terrific season in fantasy last time, raking in 228pts. And despite a decent start to the season, he became second fiddle to Jhon Duran from GW15 to GW18. It was Duran’s suspension, which paved his way back to the starting XI in GW19. Since then, the England international has started every game and has raked in 51pts.
Jhon Duran’s shock exit to Al Nassr made things easier for Watkins. He has now scored in the last two games — against Liverpool and Ipswich Town, making him one of the top performers of double gameweek 25. One must remember that Villa saw a lot of incomings in their final third in the January transfer window. Donyell Malen, Marcus Rashford, and Marco Asensio — all excellent attackers.
However, they pose little threat to Watkins. I don’t think Emery sees Rashford even as a backup no.9. And Malen is primarily for Cup games. Hence, Ollie Watkins will be leading the line for Villa without any room for doubt. He has 12 goals and 5 assists in this campaign so far.
Villa faces Chelsea at home in gameweek 26. Followed by two away trips to mid-table teams — Crystal Palace and Brentford. Then they wait on the sidelines in blank gameweek 29.
If you play a free-hit in BGW29 then you can bring him back in GW30 with your second wildcard, as he has an excellent run of fixtures right till the end of the season. With Cody Gakpo’s(£7.6m) appeal dwindling away, people like Nicolas Jackson and Kai Havertz out injured, and Alexander Isak(£9.5m) finding it difficult to score FPL points lately, Ollie Watkins appears a steady asset at the moment in Fantasy Premier League 2024-25.
Also, Chris Wood, who is enjoying a breakout season, has a tough run of fixtures now. Hence, at £8.9m, Watkins would be a safe bet. He has a proven record in FPL and seems to be a great choice for one of your forwards in fantasy. Meanwhile, at 20% ownership, the English striker is yet to become a part of the template.
