Villa bid farewell to record scorer Watkins as Saudi transfer completes
Ollie Watkins has completed a £50 million transfer to Al Hilal, ending his six-year spell at Aston Villa. He leaves as Villa's all-time Premier League top scorer with 91 goals and a Europa League winner. His departure was marked by an emotional farewell with manager Unai Emery, though his final days were overshadowed by his absence from a heavy defeat.
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Watkins' path to Villa Park was unconventional, beginning at non-League Weston-super-Mare before stops at Exeter City and Brentford. Villa paid a then-club-record £28 million for him in September 2020, and his first Premier League goals came as a hat-trick in a 7-2 thrashing of Liverpool. His durability proved remarkable, as he appeared in 221 of 229 matches despite a
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Original headline: “Ollie Watkins' Aston Villa exit stings - but he was a transfer risk who became a talisman.” Browse more stories.