Matt Le Tissier thinks that Ollie Watkins is lucky to still be starting for Aston Villa and should be dropped soon as he continues to fail to deliver in front of goal.

He may have been England’s hero at Euro 2024 with that last-gasp winner in the semi-final against the Netherlands, but right now, Ollie Watkins is probably right down the pecking order for strikers in Thomas Tuchel’s eyes.

Unai Emery has been warned that Ollie Watkins could still be "upset" over how the manager used Marcus Rashford as Aston Villa's "main man" last season, only to fall back upon the ex-Brentford forward this campaign.

On Claret & Blue, Dan Rolinson and John Townley discussed the striker’s start to the campaign, as well as whether it might be possible to sign a new forward in January or improve the quality around him.

Ollie Watkins cut a frustrated figure during Aston Villa’s loss to Liverpool, but the striker should be boosted by a return this week. In his five full Premier League seasons, the England international has scored at least 10 goals. So far in 2025/26, however, the Aston Villa forward has netted just once in 14 matches across all competitions.

Aston Villa step into their next Premier League challenge with confidence growing again. After a steady climb up the table, Unai Emery’s side now prepares to face Tottenham Hotspur away. This match will test their recent form. The Birmingham side’s recent performances have impressed everyone.

Mick Brown believes Unai Emery is planning to stick by Ollie Watkins, who needs to prove people wrong after a tough spell at Aston Villa.

Much of the criticism for Villa’s goalscoring woes has been directed at Ollie Watkins’ poor start to the season - he has scored just once, a well-taken lob over Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno. While Watkins would admit his performances have not been at their best, it would be unfair to judge him in isolation given the team’s creative issues.