It cant possibly be 60. They wanted 50 off arsenal in Jan
Ollie Watkins | United possibly interested
- Thread starter Berbaclass
- Start date
Really, really bad signings have got us where we are, not special ones. Yoro is the type that constitutes special - most other signings we’ve made have been head scratchers that others looked at us like we were crazy for putting so much money on.
The point here is we aren’t in a position to gamble on such things. If he is actually starting to break down, and we’ve gone and signed him on an expensive contract, not only would we have a dud we can’t move on, we’d also be in the same position as we are now, but worse because it would be another chunk of funds we won’t then be able to allocate elsewhere.
Like I said, he’s another really good opportunity as a second, not a first for a club in our predicament unless he is a dirt cheap bargain on both fee and wage.
It’s not hyperbolic. Watkins is not even a permanent fixture in Villa’s side This isn’t a 26-year old Watkins who was flying and injury free; he comes with a set of risks we shouldn’t be taking, imo.
That’s a very expensive and risky tide over. Potentially one that could saddle us with a-then 30-year old with no particular role beyond this season?
Has a price been suggested this summer?
I really like him as a player but 60m is too big of a gamble. If he were to move to Utd I'm sure he would be expecting similar wages to Cunha & Mbeumo.
60M 
United tax at work.
United tax at work.
What's mediocre about him though? Only thing I can think of is his age? He's scored 15+ goals for the last 3 seasons running and he hasn't got a particularly bad injury record, he still started 31 game for them in the league. Everyone has risks, but I don't see how you can describe him as mediocre. Sure not worth £60m, but mediocre is just grossly unfair for objectively, a very good striker in the prem.
Who are these so called special signings that you have in mind?
His wage alone is a problem when the potential fallout could lead to us having a reduced player we can’t shift. I doubt Villa let him go for less than £40m, why would they?
Likely the only way we'd be able to make this work is with a swap for Rashford (not an actual swap but both sales contingent on the other, for some inflated prices, to get around PSR).
Wouldn't be against it in that scenario, but no way should we be throwing any real money at this.
Wouldn't be against it in that scenario, but no way should we be throwing any real money at this.
Exactly60M
United tax at work.
Players expect big wages.
Other clubs expect big fees
Not sure I understand your first sentence, perhaps you could clarify?
On the latter, it depends if they want to sell him. They can easily price him out of a move, since he certainly isn't worth more than £40M. But if they do want to cash in, that feels likely to be the price range, looking at the general market.
£60M is what they also quoted Arsenal in January.60M
United tax at work.
I thought Arsenal offered 45 and they wanted 60? The telegraph were reporting a figure as high as 80! - so this seems consistent if anything.
I like Watkins and wouldn't mind the signing at all. As others have said though, the price for the style of player he is, age, time left of current deal etc makes it highly unlikely we would get value for money.
I'd go ahead at 40-45mill but any higher is too much risk IMO.
I'd go ahead at 40-45mill but any higher is too much risk IMO.
Watkins for 60mill, no thanks.
He is 29 and not wanted by Villa, max id pay is 25 plus add ons.
This aint gonna happen
He is 29 and not wanted by Villa, max id pay is 25 plus add ons.
This aint gonna happen
If we got Watkins in a swap for rashford, plus Jonathan David on a free, I'd be very happy with that. Loan out Hojlund for some experience and see where he is in 12 months after some time out the spotlight.
Yeah, it would be a great just to finally have a competent striker. He'd have scored at least 20 goals for us last season I'm sure.
30m take it or leave it
You’re not getting a PL striker of his level for 30 no matter the circumstances.
£45m tops would be a sensible deal for me. I like him, though im not sure he fits Amorims archetypal striker.
60m
I like him and I'd certainly take him for 30m or so. But 60m is insane. Next.
I like him and I'd certainly take him for 30m or so. But 60m is insane. Next.
Trying to put the prolific BMW back together 
At the right price this deal makes full sense. He is an experienced head who will lead the line in what looks set to be a new forward line + he will help hojlund, zirkzee and chido reach the next level. Maybe a Rashy-watkins swap could still be on the cards. Alternatively we can go for cash + Watkins for garnacho
Watkins is an epl striker. He didn't score goals in a league that made Darwin nunes look like vam basten
Watkins is an epl striker. He didn't score goals in a league that made Darwin nunes look like vam basten
I'd happily pay 60m for him if they agreed to pay 45m for Rashford, I'm sure that would help them a lot with PSR.
Otherwise no simply because of his age.
Otherwise no simply because of his age.
A straight swap would do. We might give them 40m and they give us 40m for psr purposes but that's all
The man who lost his number 9 spot to Rashford? No thanks
2-3 years ago he could have been a good option but not now
2-3 years ago he could have been a good option but not now
I bet both clubs and Watkins would accept a swap deal - and it would help both clubs on the pitch and off of it. Unfortunately Rashford has other ideas.
If the alternative is watching Rasmus Hojlund not score goals, then yeah I'll take Watkins.
Rashford clearly doesn't want to go to villa. Especially not now that they're not in the CL next season.
Stylistically, he’s almost the ideal forward for the way Amorim wants to play—high work rate, intelligent movement, strong link-up play, and a consistent goal threat. He may not be flashy, but he’s extremely effective in almost every phase of the game.
Linking him up with Cunha and Mbeumo could create a really dynamic, well-balanced front line. He’s already played with Mbeumo before, and their understanding could translate smoothly into Amorim’s setup. All three bring different strengths, and Watkins’ all-round game would complement them perfectly.
If a potential deal involved Alejandro Garnacho going the other way, it’s certainly worth consideration. Garnacho is an exciting young talent, no doubt—but Watkins is someone who could come in a make an instant impact. From that perspective, it could be a very smart move.
Cunha Watkins Mbeumo
Basically, all the best attacking players outside the big six, so to speak.
Linking him up with Cunha and Mbeumo could create a really dynamic, well-balanced front line. He’s already played with Mbeumo before, and their understanding could translate smoothly into Amorim’s setup. All three bring different strengths, and Watkins’ all-round game would complement them perfectly.
If a potential deal involved Alejandro Garnacho going the other way, it’s certainly worth consideration. Garnacho is an exciting young talent, no doubt—but Watkins is someone who could come in a make an instant impact. From that perspective, it could be a very smart move.
Cunha Watkins Mbeumo
Basically, all the best attacking players outside the big six, so to speak.
Especially one with the amount of goal contributions as Watkins.
What do you think he's missing to be Amorim’s archetypal striker? Actually, how would you compare Watkins to Gyokeres, stylistically?
Oh I'm not on board with it at all. I don't really rate him, gives me Grealish vibes of large(ish) fish in a small pond. Especially as he doesn't really show up for England either.
Lot and lots of sources saying they rejected a 60m bid from Arsenal in the January window. I don’t think he’s the man but we aren’t getting him cheap.
Good signing but will cost silly money for a 29-year-old.
He literally scored the goal that took England through to the euros final last year. He's about 1 in 3 for England and the majority of those he's either come on as a sub or been subbed.
I'm not saying this is fact or anything, just how it feels to me. But if we are after Watkins while other clubs snap up top strikers this summer, that suggests to me a serious lack of ambition and that we're targeting mid-table football going forward.
Yep, you'd expect Villa to ask for more, as they did when Arsenal were interested.
Which is why you'd expect smart clubs to do what Arsenal did, and not buy him.
I don't think we're going for Watkins (if we are) because we see him as the limit of our ambition. Quite simply its a matter of budget. We've spent £800M in the previous 5 seasons, you simply can't burn through money at that rate forever.
Spending 125M on two players does that.