Unai Emery has improved a lot of things at Aston Villa, with not many players being as revitalised by the boss as Ollie Watkins, who is now outperforming a host of Premier League legends.
It’s been a memorable week and a memorable season for Aston Villa, who have Champions League qualification and European silverware in their reach.
Making the final four of the Europa Conference League wasn’t the only high point for Unai Emery’s side last week, as the Midlands club defied the odds just three days later, coming from behind to beat Bournemouth in the Premier League.
READ MORE: Aston Villa player ratings v Bournemouth
The Villans now have a six-point lead on Spurs in the race for fourth place, setting up the 2024/25 campaign to be a fascinating season at Villa Park.
While Emery’s influence has spurred Villa to reach new heights and continuously raise the bar, the boss wouldn’t have been able to achieve such highs this year without several key players, with not many being as influential to the project as Ollie Watkins.
Ollie Watkins is outperforming a list of Premier League legends after Bournemouth display
During Villa’s 3-1 win over Bournemouth, Watkins was heavily involved in the goals however, surprisingly wasn’t able to score himself.
The 28-year-old requires just one more goal to become Villa’s top-scorer in a single Premier League campaign with 20, although, he was forced to act as the creator against the Cherries.
The Villa talisman recorded two assists on Sunday at Villa Park, taking his assists tally to 12 and his overall goal contribution tally in the Premier League this season to 31.
It’s remarkable to see how much Watkins has improved this season under Emery, even more so when considering just where his 31 contributions place him alongside other Premier League legends.
There is a phenomenal list of league legends that never managed to hit the 30+ goal contribution milestone in a single campaign, with a few listed below:
Frank Lampard, Sergio Aguero, Eden Hazard, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Teves, Dwight Yorke, Ruud van Nistelrooy, Michael Owen, Fernando Torres, Ian Wright, Diego Costa and Dennis Bergkamp.
Ollie Watkins has fired himself into the class of Europe’s elite this season
Lauded as “incredible” for producing a “masterclass of forward play” against Bournemouth by journalist Matt Law, Watkins’ levels have risen significantly this term.
Now, the Villa marksman can be considered one of the most impressive Premier League strikers for his contributions this season, particularly when viewing the list of high-calibre figures that never reached the milestone.
Emery is reaping the benefits of the Englishman unlocking other areas of his game, with the striker feeling the same about the manager, who handed him the key to explore to lengths of his ability.
The 28-year-old’s performance against the Cherries was outstanding without the need for him to score a goal however, his eyes will firmly be on Villa’s scoring record, needing just one goal from the remaining four games to rewrite history.
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