Aston Villa: Unai Emery pays an emotional tribute to Ollie Watkins
BBC Sport - Home of British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Sports News
Manager Unai Emery paid an emotional tribute to Ollie Watkins, praising the departing Aston Villa striker's behavior and commitment during his time at the club.
Key Points:
- Watkins is set to complete a £51m move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia on Friday.
- Villa are poised to sign Chelsea's Nicolas Jackson for £65m as his replacement.
- Emery revealed Watkins apologized for refusing to play against Brighton but that the team had accepted it.
- The manager described Watkins as "a fantastic guy... even more than a player" and bid him farewell with a hug and tears.
- Villa are also in talks to sign Leon Goretzka from Bayern Munich on a free transfer.
Quotes:
"He told us after the Brighton match he was sorry and that he had made a mistake... His commitment and his behaviour was fantastic." - Unai Emery
"We took decisions because it's good for the club... We have to rebuild the team as fast as possible." - Unai Emery on player sales.
Additional Notes:
- Watkins is Villa's record Premier League scorer with 91 goals since joining from Brentford in 2020.
- The team is undergoing a significant rebuild, having sold several key players this summer.