Alan Shearer is already excited to see how Ollie Watkins fares next season after penning a message about the Aston Villa star.
Ollie Watkins recorded his best Premier League numbers over the 2023/24 campaign, scoring an impressive 19 goals and claiming an even more impressive 13 assists.
The Englishman picked up the Playmaker of the Season award for topping the assists charts in the league, beating players identified as some of the best creators in the world to the prize.
Racking up 32 goal contributions in 37 appearances, only Cole Palmer registered more contributions than the Aston Villa talisman, telling of how impactful his season was.
READ MORE: Aston Villa ‘source’ reveals what backroom staff really think of Ollie Watkins in training
A lot of Watkins’ development comes down to the trust Unai Emery has in his striker, who before the manager’s arrival, had his best season in front of goal back in 2020/21, where he recorded 19 contributions.
Now thriving under Emery and having committed his long-term future to Villa, the next chapter for the 28-year-old marksman is to show his worth in the Champions League.
Alan Shearer looks forward to seeing Ollie Watkins play in the Champions League
As expected, Watkins was nominated for the Player of the Season award in the Premier League, missing out to Manchester City sensation Phil Foden.
Despite not picking up the individual award, the Villa marksman was named in several pundit’s Team of the Season, making his way into Alan Shearer’s selected XI this week.
On the Premier League website, Shearer shared why Watkins made his front line alongside Erling Haaland, as well as admitting his excitement to see how the forward performs in the Champions League.
“He proved what a great all-round striker he is by combining the fourth-most goals with the most assists in the league. It’ll be great to see what he can do in the Champions League next season.”
Shearer’s praise for Watkins is echoed by many, with the striker showing just how far his game can improve on the creative side of things, becoming a better finisher and a far more established playmaker.
Ollie Watkins will be desperate to prove himself in the Champions League
Securing Champions League football was a dream come true for Villa and a dream come true for Watkins, who will now have the opportunity to test his talents at the pinnacle of domestic football in Europe.
The 28-year-old made his European debut in August 2023, featuring in the Europa Conference League qualifiers against Hibernian, where his audition couldn’t have gone better.
Top goal contributions in Europe’s top five leagues
Watkins opened his domestic career in Europe with a hattrick against the Scottish side, a debut that he would hope to replicate in the Champions League.
While the striker has nothing to prove, seeing him rank in the top five of players in Europe’s top five leagues when it comes to goal contributions, every player representing a European club has aspirations of succeeding in the Champions League.
It will be a thrilling 2023/24 season for the Villans who will feature amongst Europe’s elite once more.
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