Arsenal struck gold on “sensational” star worth millions more than Watkins

This season has not gone to plan for Arsenal so far.

Mikel Arteta’s side came into the campaign hopeful of finally dethroning Manchester City in the Premier League, and while they are comfortably ahead of the defending champions, they’re six points off leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

On top of that, the Gunners have had to deal with a plethora of injuries to key players, with Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus out with long-term issues.

So, with all of that in mind, it’s incredible to think that the club are yet to make a single signing this month, especially with the transfer window set to shut in less than a week.

However, there might yet be cause for optimism, as on Wednesday night it was reported that Arsenal had made an audacious £60m offer for Ollie Watkins, and while it was rejected, there’s a chance the club could go back in for him, although even if the Gunners got him for around that price, he’d be worth millions less than one of his potential rivals at the Emirates.

Why Arsenal want to sign Watkins

So, let’s say that Arsenal continue in their pursuit of Watkins and reach a price suitable for Villa before the window slams shut, why would he be worth chasing?

Well, simply put, he’s a sensationally talented striker who can both score and assist goals with ease.

For example, in just 32 appearances this season, the former Exeter City gem has already scored 11 goals and provided nine assists, meaning he’s currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.60 games.

Moreover, in his 169 Premier League appearances for the Villans, he has racked up a brilliant haul of 69 goals and 31 assists, which means that in arguably the toughest league in world football, the Torquay-born dynamo has produced a goal involvement on average every 1.69 games.

Interestingly, and this may be one of the reasons Arteta wants to bring him in, the 29-year-old has also developed a real knack for scoring against the Gunners in the league.

For example, in the ten games against the North Londoners, he has scored six goals, won four times, drawn once and lost five times.

In short, Watkins is a sublime centre-forward and would undoubtedly help Arsenal reach that next level in attack, yet even if he does move to the Emirates for slightly more than £60m, he’ll be worth millions less than one of his new potential teammates.

The Arsenal star worth millions more than Watkins

So, to get straight to the point, the Arsenal player in question is none other than Kai Havertz, who joined the Gunners for £65m in June 2023.

Despite the mountain of criticism the German receives from fans and pundits alike, he has recently been valued at up to a staggering €121m by Football Transfers, which converts to about £101m, or at the very least £41m more than the initial offer the North Londoners made for Watkins this week.

Now, there will likely be a significant portion of you who don’t think the former Chelsea ace should be worth anything near that price, and while you’d probably be right, his record as a centre-forward for the Gunners is perhaps better than most people would assume.

For example, in 18 appearances up top last season, the “sensational” international, dubbed by Mikel Arteta, scored eight goals and provided seven assists, meaning when playing a number nine, he averaged a goal involvement every 1.2 games.

This season, the Aachen-born dynamo hasn’t been quite as effective but has still managed to score ten goals and provide four assists in 26 appearances as a striker, which means he’s currently averaging a goal involvement every 1.85 games.

Another reason for the massive valuation is likely the fact that he plays most games for the club, and his contract is set to run until the summer of 2028.

Ultimately, Arsenal should be doing all they can to sign Watkins before the window slams shut next week, but for all the stick he gets, they do already have a decent striker in Havertz, but he needs the help the Englishman could provide.