Former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher made an interesting claim about Ollie Watkins after the Aston Villa striker became embroiled in a dispute with head coach Unai Emery in recent weeks.
Carragher, 47, made the claim when discussing Watkins’ current situation on Thursday’s (April 24) episode of Stick to Football, brought to you by Sky Bet.
The ‘feud’ between Watkins and Emery began after the forward admitted that he was “fuming” having featured as a substitute in both legs of Villa’s Champions League quarter-final clash against Paris Saint-Germain.
“I played 20 minutes against PSG in both games,” Watkins told Sky Sports on April 19.
“I am not going to lie, I was fuming that I wasn’t playing – I let him [Unai Emery] know that.
“He’s the manager, you have to respect his decision, [but] I am not one of these players happy to sit on the bench.
“It is something I have not experienced before, to miss out on the biggest stage. I wanted to be out on the pitch for much longer. I have played a big part to get to where we are today, and I want to play in those games.”
Emery reacted after Villa’s 4-1 Premier League win against Newcastle on April 19.
He said: “It’s fantastic to be angry and fantastic for him to play like he did [against Newcastle].”
Ollie Watkins has struggled to nail down a starting place at Aston Villa in recent weeks (Credit:Getty)
And the Spanish manager may have a selection headache to deal with ahead of Villa’s FA Cup semi-final clash against Crystal Palace on Saturday, as Marcus Rashford put in another impressive performance during the midweek defeat against Manchester City.
Jamie Carragher makes huge claim about Ollie Watkins
Former Liverpool centre-back Carragher made a bombshell claim about Watkins when speaking to Gary Neville, Ian Wright and Jill Scott.
“When we talk about Arsenal going for Ollie Watkins, someone told me that Aston Villa offered him to Arsenal – I know that,” said Carragher. “I don’t think it was Arsenal phoning Villa saying they want to sign him.
“Arsenal didn’t sign him because they didn’t offer a lot of money. They offered around £50 million. However, this is the information I had. If I know that then I’m sure his agent knows that.
“Villa have spent a lot of money, and they need to get something back. In an ideal world, you probably would sell Ollie Watkins and keep Jhon Duran because he is the younger player – he is only 21.”
Of course, back in January the Gunners bid a reported £60m, which was rejected by the Midlands club.
And Watkins has already revealed that signing for Arsenal is a “dream” of his.
“That’s the dream, to play for Arsenal one day,” he told Sports Gazette at the 2020 London Football Awards.
“But, you know, it’s a long shot.”
