BBC pundit Gary Lineker has been singing the praises of Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, selecting the Englishman over another Premier League talisman.
Aston Villa will remember the 2023/24 season as one of the best in the Premier League era, as Unai Emery’s side finished in fourth place and subsequently claimed Champions League football.
The impact of Emery at Villa has been remarkable, with the Spaniard earning a host of praise for his stellar work since arriving in October 2022.
One area that the former Arsenal boss has tremendously improved is the individual quality of his front line, with the likes of Ollie Watkins and Leon Bailey thriving under the manager’s guidance.
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Watkins in particular has not only been one of Villa’s best this season, but one of the Premier League’s best too, securing 32 goal contributions in 37 appearances in the top flight, seeing him nominated for Player of the Season.
While the Englishman fell short in the individual award to Premier League winner Phil Foden, some believe that the 28-year-old has had a campaign even better than another Manchester City dynamo.
Gary Lineker picks Ollie Watkins over Erling Haaland in his Team of the Season
When discussing his picks for Premier League Team of the Season on The Rest Is Football podcast, Gary Lineker shared his reasons for selecting Watkins over Erling Haaland to lead the line.
The BBC pundit gave six reasons why the Villa superstar gets his pick ahead of the Golden Boot winner, singing the praises of the Englishman’s ‘extraordinary’ campaign.
“I’ve gone with Watkins over Haaland. If I had to pick a team to play tomorrow, I’d put Haaland in, but I just think this season Ollie Watkins has been extraordinary, I think Haaland’s been missing a little bit.
“I know he scored a few more goals but goal combinations between them is 32 Haaland and 32 Watkins, what I’ll say is Watkins has done it for Aston Villa and Haaland has done it for Manchester City.
“I just think Ollie Watkins this season, for what he’s achieved and what he’s done and his consistency, the amount he’s played, his effort, his work rate, his all-round game, I’m edging him ahead of Haaland.”
How Ollie Watkins compares to Erling Haaland in 2023/24
The interesting element about Lineker’s claims is the fact that Watkins ‘has done it’ for Villa, as the striker fuelled the Villans with goals all season to ensure a fourth-place finish was achieved.
32 goal contributions translate to Watkins being involved with 42% of Villa’s Premier League goals throughout the campaign, telling of why he has received so much praise for his work this term.
While the admirable goal tally of Haaland must not be discredited, the Norweigan acts as the striker in a side which has won the league six times in the past seven seasons, telling of the quality around him.
That’s not to say that Watkins is particularly starved of quality at Villa however, given the recent success of the Midlands club, it may be easy to forget that Watkins and his teammates were sat in 16th at the point of Emery’s arrival in 2022/23.
The Englishman’s ability to study and raise his game beyond the level previously seen makes the 2023/24 campaign a remarkable achievement for both himself and his team, reinforcing why the 28-year-old’s season is considered to be of the same calibre as Haaland’s.
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