Ollie Watkins | United possibly interested
- Thread starter Berbaclass
- Start date
Well that didn't take long
They should give it a day and we'll be down to 40!
He'll certainly push if we're serious
£40m +5. Get it done.
This feels like a safer deal that 75+ million for Sesko although obviously not as exciting.
Ben Jacobs is just saying what Whitwell said earlier in his piece, that we think it can be done for £50m.
I think signing a solid and reliable PL striker to join our two new quality PL proven attackers is way more exciting. I'm bored of potential and want to see a functioning attack this season
Seems a risk for a club that want to get back into the CL. Keep what they have rather than being forced into replacing one of their better players.
Emry aint stoopid.
Go with the safer option which is Watkins, rebuild midfield next summer, and then in two summers time hopefully a striker has developed somewhere that can replace Watkins eventually.
When I say exciting I mean Sesko could become a really really top striker in the coming years. Obviously could flop too.
Watkins I think you know what you will get, a good striker but someone who will never be top level. It's not a bad thing but Watkins won't improve much from what he offers today.
The only reason this one is exciting to some people is because he's from a foreign land, young, and they've not seen much of him so he's mysterious thus must be great. Watkins excites me a ton more.
Those are the exact same reasons as to why most in the Sesko thread are anti the signing.
Lots happens in the last week of the window after months of deadlock, I think at least two will move, probably all three as we need to shift a high earner out given our PSR restrictions.
I actually always thought Ollie would leave us to go back to London as he was at Brentford for three years and his Wife is from there. Arsenal would've been his dream move and Chelsea would be logical but he's too old for their recruiters.
Guess he's looking at Man. United still being higher profile to try to put some more pressure on Kane in World Cup year but that is optimistic. Or last big contract of his career, you've had a few of them in recent years.
What I would say is his fitness record is sensational. In five years with us I think he's only been unavailable for ten prem games, maybe even less. Even when he picks up a knock he's pretty much always available for the next game. A very robust footballer and you need a few more of them to become competitive again in the top half of the league.
Sensible folk.
It is a bit funny how both this and the Sesko thread are on the same amount of pages and grow similarly each day 
Yeah I wouldn’t trust anything a United source thinks about price. We are always wrong and well off what the selling club wants.
One factor we need to consider, though, is that based on the briefing we have now all heard, if we prefer Watkins but don’t move quickly and Sesko signs for Newcastle, Villa will know we are in a weak position and could exploit that, refusing to budge from the 60m asking price. They won’t easily find a replacement either, so this could drag on until deadline day.
Really good points.
The answer here is that we should either save our money or move to another possition of need. Don't be forced into taking 5th or 6th best.
If Villa are reasonable with add-on structure we should look to do the Watkins deal ASAP.
Of the two being talked about I think Watkins is the safer bet , which right now is probably the sensible option for us give our atrocious strike rate when we take a chance on very expensive but unproven players such as Sesko.
Watkins is exactly what we need right now in terms of age profile, proven track record and reasonable price. Hope we get him.
I think he’s by far the safer option. That front three would guarantee goals and move us up the table. But I also feel in three years time we’ll be looking at Sesko and rue the fact we didn’t get him. The issue is whether we have that time or even the stability to let Sesko bed in.
On the flip side who knows what other strikers will emerge in 2 years when Watkins could drop off, and if they might already be at the club a la Chido?
That's what I thought, 50m. Steep.
Am I the only one thinking he would love to come to prove a point?
This has desperation all over it, Watkins is such a limited forward and Villa will take us to the cleaners.
Players don't fall off a cliff when they reach 30 but players who rely on their physicality and power certainly do. Watkins is an old fashion centre forward and he has at most 2 or 3 seasons before his decline.
Players don't fall off a cliff when they reach 30 but players who rely on their physicality and power certainly do. Watkins is an old fashion centre forward and he has at most 2 or 3 seasons before his decline.
Watkins has been durable but last season is when he actually started to pick up injuries.
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ollie-watkins/verletzungen/spieler/324358/plus/1
https://www.transfermarkt.co.uk/ollie-watkins/verletzungen/spieler/324358/plus/1
age is a massive issue, I'd rather not.
Around the 40m mark I'd accept it, perhaps he'd give us 3 seasons while Rasmus can be his understudy.
Around the 40m mark I'd accept it, perhaps he'd give us 3 seasons while Rasmus can be his understudy.
No we need to quadruple down and add yet another shiny young project striker to add to our burgeoning trio!
That is a good point. I wasn’t necessarily making that argument from a durability standpoint but more of a mental one. My perception is that late bloomers tend to have a better mentality because they, maybe, have had to claw and dig in to get to the level they reach. I’ve seen it particularly with Italian strikers. I suppose, as well, the late bloomer tends to be someone who has really studied the game and so their tactical awareness is potentially higher than someone who has had naturally high talent or been more physically mature from a young age.
I have no idea whether that really tallies with Watkins. I don’t watch him weekly. But I see a cool customer who generally makes good decisions. He doesn’t look like a player that will really decline in his early 30s. I can see us getting 3 or 4 decent seasons from him. And while the pool of young strikers is fairly questionable, that gives Obi chance to develop gradually or for a new young striker talent to emerge to the market.
What I also like about Watkins is that he’s a decent finisher but also very creative. A solid all rounder. The type of striker who should be able to interchange well with Mbeumo, Cunha and Fernandes.
They could be trying to smoke out the Sesko price...but with Newcastle sniffing around that's risky.
If I had to choose I'd go with the Prem experience over the young Bundesliga prospect. He looks powerful but he'll probably take a few years to acclimatise. It's so hard to know how a player will settle into the OT goldfish bowl.
If I had to choose I'd go with the Prem experience over the young Bundesliga prospect. He looks powerful but he'll probably take a few years to acclimatise. It's so hard to know how a player will settle into the OT goldfish bowl.
What would you think if a deal for Watkins involved Garnacho going the other way? Say £10m or so and Garnacho. Could sex up the values of both players to say they’re £60m and £50m respectively.
If it’s at all possible, that’s the deal I’d do, and use whatever coppers we can get from Antony and Sancho to sign a keeper.
If it’s at all possible, that’s the deal I’d do, and use whatever coppers we can get from Antony and Sancho to sign a keeper.
a proven goal scorer in the premier league who would cost less but is much older compared to much younger, not epl proven and more expensive....
tough choice but ffs they've got to make a decision quickly before someone else steps in and does the business
tough choice but ffs they've got to make a decision quickly before someone else steps in and does the business
Because that was half way through a season they were going for a champions league place.
Offering that to a 30y.o on a likely 4yrs contract? I doubt he will accept a 3yrs contract.
It makes no financial sense to get Watkins.
What about footballing sense?
Think this makes sense. Even better might be a big sell on clause on Garnacho. I’d take a straight swap, essentially, with a sexed up value like you suggested but the sell on (even if applied on Watkins too) really makes the difference and protects us a bit if, as I expect, Garnacho goes on to become absolutely top drawer.
We did similar with Casemiro (higher wages) but we shouldn't touch a deal like this on more than 2 years that's why the fee can't exceed 40m