The Risk of Aston Villa Signing Ollie Watkins Has Already Paid Off

It's fair to say Aston Villa fans weren't entirely convinced when the club turned to Championship side Brentford with an offer of £28m to secure the signing of English striker Ollie Watkins.

'£28m plus for a young lad with no Premier League experience. Not saying we shouldn’t spend it, if that’s the market - but it’s a ridiculous price. And so much pressure on him.'

'I guess this is the marquee signing then. Watkins definitely wouldn’t have been classed as that at the start of the window. Needs to start well or some serious pressure will fall on him and Smith. Surprised Lange and Mackenzie haven’t found some alternatives for this sum of money.'

'Blimey.'

The main area of concern would have been whether Watkins could rekindle his hot Championship form and find the back of the net with the same consistency in the Premier League. To be fair to Villa fans, you can't blame their caution. Players like Jordan Rhodes and Adel Taarabt have flourished in the second tier before failing in the top flight.

Watkins bagged 25 goals in 46 Championship appearances last season in a campaign which saw Brentford reach the playoff final. Although many Bees fans were anticipating the departure of star players Watkins and Said Benrahma this summer, the board certainly drove a hard bargain.

Villa coughed up £28m to sign Watkins, a club-record deal. While the fee was questioned by many supporters, there's no doubting Villa lacked a goalscoring presence on their Premier League return last season.

Although this seemed a big risk, Dean Smith's side are certainly now reaping the rewards.

The former Brentford manager was the one who brought Watkins to west London in a deal from Exeter City. There's no doubting Smith had the faith in the 24-year-old to provide the difference for last season's 17th-place Premier League finishers, and his early man-management has helped the striker settle straight in.

Watkins found his feet in the Carabao Cup and was immediately off the mark before the Premier League had even got underway. The Englishman then netted another Carabao Cup goal, this time in a third round tie away to Bristol City.

While his confidence was sky-high following two goals in as many domestic cup appearances, Watkins had gone two Premier League games in the meantime without hitting the back of the net. While some questions about his ability to cut it at the top flight started to creep back, a dazzling three-goal dismantling of champions Liverpool followed.

This wasn't a game hampered by VAR controversy or dubious penalty calls, it was a pure demolition of the champions by a team that just about survived relegation by the skin of their teeth last season, and it was refreshing to see. But the stand-out performer? Watkins.

The striker walked down the Villa Park tunnel with the matchball in one arm and a man of the match award in the other. Confidence is a funny thing in football. It can make a player feel ten feet tall, as we are currently witnessing with Dominic Calvert-Lewin, and after three goals against Virgil van Dijk, arguably the best defender in the world, Watkins' confidence will be through the roof.

But it's not just what Watkins can give Villa now. If a hat-trick against the champions is what he can offer currently, imagine what he could do with some seasoned Premier League experience - and is there anyone better equipped to unearth his potential than Smith?

It's a five-year contract Watkins has signed at Villa Park, so sit back, relax, and enjoy the goalscoring show.