Aston Villa plotting to sign Watkins upgrade who’s “one of the best in the world”

Aston Villa‘s hackles are raised ahead of the final lap of this marathon campaign.

On Thursday evening, Villa Park will host Nottingham Forest, and Unai Emery‘s side will have their sights trained on overturning a one-goal deficit that would then roll out the carpet into Istanbul for the final, where they would meet one of Sporting Braga or Freiburg.

Emery has worked wonders over the past several years in the Midlands, taking the Villans from their relegation-threatened Premier League position and leading them into a series of sustained European conquests.

But a few things have been left to be desired this term, such as his side’s sharpness in attack.

Aston Villa begin work on Watkins successor

Ollie Watkins has been a staple of Emery’s Aston Villa attack since he replaced Steven Gerrard back in 2022. However, the 30-year-old striker has ebbed and flowed this year, and Tammy Abraham’s so-so efforts as the support act have led to speculation over future Villa signings at number nine.

Watkins has been discussed as a potential sale this summer, even though Emery is against the sale of his free-scoring striker, but the fact remains that he has gone vast stretches without scoring in the Premier League this term, and a freshen-up wouldn’t go amiss.

According to Football Insider, Villa are already preparing to launch a summer move for Juventus striker Jonathan David, who has been a long-term target at the club.

David, 26, has struggled in Serie A, joining Juve at the end of his LOSC Lille contract in 2025, but his career in France was replete with goals, and he has spoken in the past of his desire to play in the Premier League.

Why David would be an upgrade on Watkins for Villa

Signing David would be something of a risk after an indifferent year as Juventus’ frontman, but he is in the prime of his career and has the potential to score bucketloads of goals in the Premier League, rekindling his “insane” form in France, as was hailed by U23 scout Antonio Mango.

Dubbed “one of the best strikers in the world” by sports commentator Tony Marinaro when he earned his keep in Ligue 1, the Canadian striker has only scored eight goals and supplied five assists across 44 appearances in black and white, but his track record beforehand speaks for itself.

David’s dynamism and link-up ability differentiates him from the pack. In this, he could be a superstar at Aston Villa, someone tailor-made to pick up the baton left by such a consistent goalscorer in Watkins.

Through his struggles, David has maintained a creative flow, creating four big chances in Serie A this year while playing a key pass once per game on average. For a forward, this is impressive, with Watkins, for example, creating only 0.6 key passes per Premier League game.

Let’s not forget that the mobile attacker scored 109 goals and supplied 31 assists across 232 appearances for Lille, with his international track record with Canada yielding 39 goals across only 75 outings.

Watkins has remained steady for much of the campaign at Aston Villa, but questions need to be raised ahead of the summer transfer window. The veteran has scored 11 goals in the league, but he has also missed 17 big chances; will that improve next year?

Figures have not yet been floated about, but David may fancy a change of scenery after a tough year in Italy, and given the extensive profiling that Villa have carried out on the striker over the past several years, this could prove a shrewd deal indeed.