How Aston Villa are planning for life after Watkins

Aston Villa supporters finally got to see Ollie Watkins make his World Cup debut for England when he came off the bench for the final 12 minutes against Panama on Saturday.

The 30-year-old marksman had never made a World Cup squad before this tournament and was an unused substitute in the first two group stage matches against Croatia and Panama.

Whilst he failed to score in his brief cameo in America, it was still a nice moment for the Villans star to play for the Three Lions on the world stage.

Watkins is free off the back of scoring 21 goals in 54 appearances in all competitions for Villa in the 2025/26 campaign, which included a return of 16 goals in 37 matches in the Premier League.

The English frontman turns 31 later this year, though, and it remains to be seen whether or not his goalscoring levels will drop as he progresses into his 30s.

Aston Villa considering move for Premier League centre-forward

He has scored 108 goals in 278 matches in all competitions for the club since his move from Brentford in the summer of 2020, providing a reliable goal threat throughout his time at Villa Park.

Unai Emery may need to start thinking about what life will look like after Watkins’ powers begin to wane, though, and the Spaniard is already eyeing up a long-term successor to the England international.

According to Fussball Daten, Aston Villa are one of a number of teams eyeing up a move to sign Sunderland centre-forward Brian Brobbey in the summer transfer window.

The report claims that the Villans are considering a swoop to sign the Netherlands international, who has scored three goals at the World Cup this summer, to bolster their attack.

However, it adds that Stuttgart, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Manchester United, Chelsea, and Tottenham Hotspur are also in the race to snap up the former Ajax star.

Fussball Daten explains that a fee of up to £47m could be needed to tempt the Black Cats into cashing in on their number nine, after they qualified for the Europa League by finishing seventh in the Premier League.

The beginning of the end for Ollie Watkins

As crazy as it may seem to say after he scored 21 goals last season, it could be the beginning of the end for Watkins as a regular starter for Villa if they can strike a deal for Brobbey this summer.

As the England international heads towards the latter stages of his career, it remains to be seen how his game will be affected, as he relies on his mobility and pace to run off the last line to create chances for himself.

Brobbey is six years younger than Watkins and would arrive as a young player with the potential to lead the line for Villa for many years to come, just as the Englishman did when he signed from Brentford at the same age.

The Dutchman is already a more physical and powerful centre-forward in the Premier League, as evidenced by his superior numbers in duels, particularly aerially, in comparison to Watkins last season.

Whilst he only scored seven goals in the top-flight for the Black Cats, Brobbey was not provided with as many quality chances as the Villa forward was, given their respective xG totals, and could be more prolific in a team that creates more opportunities.

His form for the Netherlands at the World Cup is evidence that he can be a lethal goalscorer in a team that is geared towards creating chances on a regular basis, as he has scored three goals in three games at the tournament so far.

Brobbey, who was described as “dangerous” by journalist Josh Bunting, also scored 21 goals in 41 matches for Ajax in the 2023/24 campaign, which shows that he has been a consistent goalscorer at club level in the past.

Signing the powerful Dutch centre-forward could, therefore, be the beginning of the end for Watkins because he is a much younger striker with the potential to develop into a more complete number nine, given his physicality and goalscoring quality.