Unai Emery has confirmed Ollie Watkins has snubbed interest from Arsenal and wants to stay at Aston Villa.
The England international was the subject of a reported £60million bid from the Gunners earlier this week, with the news breaking just hours before Villa’s 4-2 win over Celtic in the Champions League on Wednesday night, a game in which Watkins scored and missed a penalty.
With Jhon Duran on the verge of sealing a £64m move to Al Nassr, the last thing Villa need is for Watkins to indicate he also wants out. But Emery says, having spoken to him, the 29-year-old is happy at Villa Park.
Emery said: “Yes, he is happy to stay. We asked him how he is feeling every day and he is happy here.
“He appreciates a lot how Villa was always supporting him and helping him, when we joined here two years ago, how we were working with him and getting the best of him.
“Now we need him, like he needed Aston Villa in the last years. I am speaking with him a lot, he is always adapting with every circumstance we have and of course when some teams call us being interested in the players it’s very good for us and the players.
“Some players prefer to leave and some accept to stay here and commit with our challenges. One of them is Ollie Watkins.”
The Boss has arrived for his #WOLAVL press conference
pic.twitter.com/FPYa6RDNDg
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) January 31, 2025
more to follow