Watkins upgrade: Aston Villa want “one of the most in-form CFs in Europe”
da lvbet： Aston Villa centre-forward Ollie Watkins recently ended his goal draught with an impressive brace in the 4-3 win over Brighton in the Premier League earlier this month.
da bwin： The England international had gone 11 matches without a goal, per Sofascore, and only had one goal to his name in the top-flight before those two strikes against the Seagulls.
After blanking against Arsenal on Saturday, though, Watkins is now on three goals, from 4.49 xG (Sofascore), in 15 appearances in the Premier League this season, which is far from an ideal return for the Villans striker.
The former Brentford marksman’s underwhelming form on the pitch this season may force Unai Emery to consider adding to his squad to bolster his firepower in the final third.
Aston Villa eyeing deal for Ligue 1 striker
The Villans are reportedly looking at a potential striker signing who could come in and be an upgrade on Watkins for the second half of the 2025/26 campaign.
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According to TEAMtalk, Aston Villa are one of a number of clubs interested in a deal to sign Strasbourg centre-forward Joaquin Panichelli in the January transfer window.
The report claims that the Villans, West Ham United, and Chelsea are all keeping close tabs on the Argentine marksman, ahead of a possible swoop for his services.
It adds that it could be difficult for any of those clubs to get a deal done for the 23-year-old star in January, as Strasbourg want a ‘big profit’ on the forward they paid £14m to sign from Alaves in the summer.
However, it is not impossible and Aston Villa should push to get a deal done ahead of West Ham and Chelsea because he could improve their squad in the centre-forward position.
Why Aston Villa should sign Panichelli
The Villans could land an upgrade on Watkins, who has struggled this season, by signing the Strasbourg star, because his form in Ligue 1 has been hugely impressive.
After a return of 21 goals in 44 matches on loan at Mirandes in LaLiga 2 in the 2024/25 campaign, per Sofascore, it was unclear whether or not the Argentine striker would be able to handle the step up to playing in one of Europe’s major leagues.
It is fair to say that he has made the step up with ease after his £14m transfer to Strasbourg, since his form so far this season has attracted interest from Villa, Chelsea, and West Ham.
U23 scout Antonio Mango described him as “one of the most in form Strikers in Europe” at the end of October, and that statement still rings true in December.
Panichelli has scored nine goals from 8.58 xG in 15 appearances in Ligue 1, compared to Watkins’ three goals from 4.49 xG in the Premier League, and only five striker in the top five leagues in Europe have outscored him.
Top scoring STs in the Top 5 Leagues (25/26)
Player
Goals
Harry Kane
17
Kylian Mbappe
16
Erling Haaland
15
Ferran Torres
11
Igor Thiago
11
Joaquin Panichelli
9
Esteban Lepaul
8
Robert Lewandowski
8
Jonathan Burkardt
8
Vedat Muriqi
8
Via Transfermarkt
The Strasbourg centre-forward, as shown in the table above, has been one of the most prolific number nines in Europe at league level this season, which illustrates the level of quality that Villa could bring to the club.
On top of his domestic form, Panichelli has scored one goal from 0.23 xG in two Conference League outings, per Sofascore, whilst Watkins has no goals from 1.63 xG in five Europa League appearances for the Villans.
These statistics suggest that the Argentine striker could be the ruthless finisher that Emery’s team have lacked this season, due to Watkins’ dismal form in front of goal as a finisher.
Panichelli has been one of the most prolific scorers in Europe, whilst also doing so efficiently against his xG. This suggests that his goalscoring is sustainable if chances continue to be created for him.
Therefore, given that Watkins has had chances created for him that he has failed to make the most of, the Strasbourg star could arrive at Villa Park as an upgrade in the centre-forward position if they beat Chelsea and West Ham to his signature.
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It is now down to the board to ensure that they put enough money on the table to convince the Ligue 1 side to part ways with the impressive striker in the January transfer window.