Ollie Watkins signs new Aston Villa contract
- Watkins has put pen to paper on a new long-term deal
- Striker has been prolific since Unai Emery's arrival to Villa
- An England call-up is another reward for Watkins
By Tom Gott
Aston Villa have confirmed that striker Ollie Watkins has put pen to paper on a new contract.
Watkins, whose previous deal was due to expire in 2025, has been in electric form since Unai Emery's arrival at Villa, ending last season with 15 goals to his name and racking up four to start the current campaign.
As 90min revealed in September, Villa were confident they were closing in on an agreement with Watkins, and now a deal has been struck to keep the striker at Villa Park for the foreseeable future.
The new contract caps off an excellent week for Watkins, who made his return to Gareth Southgate's England squad for the October international break.
Asked how Watkins had taken the news of the international call-up, Villa boss Emery revealed: "He is happy, but he is calm when they were calling him. Now, I think really for him and for us it's important.
"Ollie Watkins is always ready to work and to give the team what they need. Individually as well, when he is doing his work, scoring goals, defensively the first press, it's very important for us. When he is not scoring, when he is not being brilliant, he is doing his work. For me and his teammates it's always positive.
"Always, he is very demanding to learn and to improve. He is doing that here. I have worked with him for more or less one year. The first day when he was working with us and when I arrived, it is the same like today when I met him this morning in the training ground."
READ THE LATEST NEWS FROM 90MIN'S TALKING TRANSFERS TEAM
feed