Ollie Watkins Apologizes to Aston Villa Squad as New Chapter Begins

Unai Emery revealed that Ollie Watkins apologised to the Aston Villa squad for refusing to play on Sunday, as the manager delivered a heartfelt farewell to the club’s departing record scorer.

Watkins, 30, is expected to land in Saudi Arabia on Friday to complete a £51m move to Al-Hilal, drawing a line under a four-year spell in which he became Villa’s most prolific Premier League marksman.

Emery: “He was wrong, but we accepted it”

The striker made himself unavailable for the match against Brighton, a decision that jarred with the professionalism he has generally shown since arriving from Brentford for £28m in 2020.

Emery did not hide from the incident, but made it clear the matter is closed inside the dressing room.

“He told us after the Brighton match he was sorry and that he had made a mistake. He was wrong, but we accepted it. The players as well,” Emery said.

Across all competitions, Watkins struck 108 goals for Villa, including 91 in the Premier League – numbers that place him at the top of the club’s era in the rebranded division.

Yet it was the person, not the poacher, that Emery chose to underline.

“His commitment and his behaviour was fantastic. He's a fantastic guy – a fantastic guy even more than a player,” the Spaniard said. “I told him ‘bye’ with a huge hug and with small tears.”

Then came the pivot.

“But now it's a new chapter here with Nicolas Jackson.”

Jackson in, Watkins out

Villa have agreed a £65m deal with Chelsea for Nicolas Jackson, who is lined up as Watkins’ replacement at the tip of Emery’s attack. The club are working against the clock to have the Senegal forward registered in time for Monday night’s home clash with Arsenal.

Jackson’s arrival forms part of a rapid reshaping of a squad that delivered a successful 2025-26 campaign but has already lost several experienced figures this summer. Watkins is the headline departure, yet far from the only one.

Emery, though, framed the exits as part of a deliberate and necessary evolution rather than a fire sale.

“We took decisions because it's good for the club,” he said. “Of course, we don't want to be a club that sells players, but the responsibility is there. It's crazy [money for someone] 30 years old and £50m for Ezri Konsa [who is 28].”

For Emery, the logic is simple: develop, sell at peak value, reinvest, and move again.

“How we developed in the last year with some players and how we can sell some players now is completely the right decision,” he added. “We have to rebuild the team as fast as possible. [Fans] have to accept our way and why we are taking some decisions.”

Goretzka brings a winner’s edge

One of those decisions is the capture of Leon Goretzka, who completed a free transfer to Villa on Thursday after leaving Bayern Munich at the end of last season.

His CV speaks for itself: seven Bundesliga titles and a Champions League crown with Bayern, a midfielder hardened by years at the top of the European game.

“He is a winner. He is a very competitive player – a good player to add into our squad,” Emery said.

“He is versatile and arrives fit and training well. Hopefully on Monday he can be on the field.”

So Villa move on. Watkins to Riyadh, Jackson waiting in the wings, Goretzka stepping into midfield. The goals of the past have gone; the question now is how quickly this rebuilt side can create new ones.