Tottenham Hotspur passed on Ollie Watkins before he moved to Aston Villa
According to Football Insider (h/t Football.london), Tottenham Hotspur were put off by Brentford’s £28m price tag for Ollie Watkins.
With Harry Kane our lone senior striker, the club was keen to bring in a backup for the English captain. Watkins was one of the names under consideration following an impressive season at Brentford.
Watkins enjoyed a prolific season that saw him bag 26 goals in 50 appearances across all competitions for the Championship side. Alongside fellow attackers Bryan Mbeumo and Said Benrahma, Watkins formed the prolific BMW trio that saw Brentford make it to the final of the Championship playoff.
According to the report, Watkins was keen to make the move to Spurs. This in spite of him having to play backup to Kane.
The major issue appears to be the player’s price tag. Daniel Levy and Spurs were involved in trying to drive down the price, only for Aston Villa to swoop in and meet Brentford’s valuation.
As of yet, the Villans look to have got themselves a real star. Watkins has taken to the top-flight like a fish to water. He already has five goals and one assist in just six appearances for Villa. This includes a well-taken hat-trick against champions Liverpool.
A better choice?
While we may have missed out on Watkins, Jose Mourinho did get the backup striker he craved for. Spurs have since signed Brazilian ace Carlos Vinicius from Benfica.
The 25-year-old was the Primeira Liga top scorer last season and is prolific in front of goal. The signing was key given the difficulties we faced during Kane’s absence last season.
Vinicius joined the club initially on a season-long loan. Spurs, however, do have an option to make the deal permanent next summer. (h/t Evening Standard)
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It is too early to compare Watkins and Vinicius. The latter comes with a higher pedigree and is the better choice on paper. Moreover, he also has Champions League experience and is proven at the top level.
Only time will tell if missing out on Watkins was a blessing in disguise.
