Emery Confirms: Watkins Happy to Stay at Aston Villa

Head coach says it's 'huge' that striker is committed to the club amid speculation linking him with Arsenal

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Unai Emery has been told by Ollie Watkins that he is happy to stay at Aston Villa.

There has been speculation that Watkins, 29, is on the radar of Arsenal, who are attempting to bolster their forward options before the January transfer window shuts on Monday night (23:00 GMT).

But when asked about Watkins in his pre-match press conference ahead of Saturday's trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers, Emery said: "He is happy to stay. We asked him how he is feeling every day, and he is happy here."

Saturday 1 February

Molineux Stadium, Wolverhampton

Wolves

23:00

Aston Villa

'Watkins' commitment is huge'

With Jhon Duran reportedly leaving Villa for Al Nassr, Emery is set to lose one of his attacking options and says that it's a big boost to have Watkins remaining at the club.

"The commitment of Ollie Watkins with us is huge," said Villa's head coach.

"He appreciates a lot how Villa is 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 are calling 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 to our challenges. One of them is Ollie Watkins."

Dreams of playing for Arsenal

However, in 2020 while at Brentford, Watkins spoke of his desire to one day sign for Arsenal, saying that it would be a dream to play for them.

"That's the dream, to play for Arsenal one day, but it's a long shot - that's a long-term goal of mine," Watkins said, after winning the EFL Player of the Year at the London Football Awards.

"I'm an Arsenal fan, so Thierry Henry was my [idol]. He's unbelievable to watch and was the ultimate idol when I was growing up."

Arteta: We'll see what the market brings

Mikel Arteta has said that Arsenal are still trying to "find a solution" for their striker problems.

"I'm not going to talk about any individuals, we're actively looking to find a solution in that position and we'll see what the market brings," Arteta admitted in his press conference prior to Sunday's home encounter with Manchester City.

"We have the ambition and purpose to try to help the team, support the squad to be better, and to finish the season strongly. We're actively trying to do that."