Chris Sutton believes Manchester City have a player who has had a better season than Ollie Watkins in the Premier League.
The Aston Villa striker has had a phenomenal season that has easily been the best of his career.
The 28-year-old has 19 goals and 12 assists in the league.
Naturally, many have vouched for the England international to be a candidate to be the Premier League Player of The Season.
To have such numbers for an elite club would be incredible.
However, to do what Watkins has done for a Villa team who are fighting for top four is arguably even more impressive.
Sutton says City have a player who has had a better season than Watkins
But then Manchester City have players who have performed at the maximum possible level while contending for a league and cup double.
For instance, Rodri.
A case can be made that the Spaniard has been the best player in the world, up there with the likes of Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappe and Jude Bellingham this season.
The way Rodri controls a game of football is perhaps incomparable to any player in world football, let alone a striker in Ollie Watkins.
As a result, many would claim that the treble-winner has as much of a shout to be regarded as the league’s best player.
But Sutton was not referring to Rodri.
Instead, Chris Sutton ranked Phil Foden as the second best player in the Premier League this season, in his view while naming Ollie Watkins at number three.
“I’d have Declan Rice at the top of my list. Phil Foden at two. I think Rice has taken Arsenal to another level”, he said on the Daily Mail’s It’s All Kicking Off podcast.
Sutton added, “Ollie Watkins [at number three], I think Villa have had a brilliant season and Watkins will be going to the Euros, goals and assists, impact, it’s not all about the big boys, Ian [Ladyman].”
The pundit named Gabriel Magalhaes and Kai Havertz at number four and number five respectively.
Unlike Chris Sutton, Tony Cascarino claimed in March that Ollie Watkins was having a better campaign than Phil Foden.
Phil Foden has outdone the Aston Villa striker this season
In our view, it is not to state that the seasons between Phil Foden and Ollie Watkins are incomparable, as Chris Sutton rightly ranked them close to one another.
Aside from their respective performance levels, it is key to understand the circumstances both clubs have been in.
A season where Villa even quality for the Champions League will rightly be consider an overwhelming success.
However, if City fail to win the league, despite winning the treble last season, their campaign will be viewed as a major disappointment.
Regardless of Manchester City’s injury problems or the decline in the form of certain players, Phil Foden has stepped up to the plate as his side look favourites to win the league title.
That too, while City were in a three-horse race with Arsenal and Liverpool, which is a rarity in Premier League history, making the £225,000-a-week man’s contributions more noteworthy than Watkins.
But Chris Sutton rightly named both Phil Foden and Ollie Watkins amongst the Premier League’s five best players this season.
