Aston Villa should have worked harder for Ollie Watkins signing

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Aston Villa certainly have an abundance of attacking talent in their squad at the moment, even if Steve Bruce is not getting the best out of them. However, one player they targeted in the summer of 2017 is undoubtedly one that got away.

Whilst Aston Villa may have successfully signed Scott Hogan in January of that year, the money they spent on him helped Brentford sign Ollie Watkins from Exeter. As reported by GetWestLondon, Aston Villa were one of several suitors that Brentford beat to his signature in a reported £1.8 million move last July.

Looking back, it seems a real missed opportunity for Aston Villa.

Whilst Hogan has struggled to settle at Villa Park and cost a lot more, the same cannot be said for Watkins at Griffin Park.

He has thrived for the Bees. Last season he scored 11 goals and bagged five assists in 48 games. Those are decent numbers for a first Championship season at such a young age.

But this campaign looks like being far more successful. In the six games he has played so far he has registered four goals and one assist.

That assist came against Aston Villa. His performance in the 2-2 draw was immense, as he ran the Villa defence ragged for 90 minutes.

Capable on the left-wing or through the middle it is possible that Aston Villa put their eggs in the wrong basket in 2017. Instead of Hogan, they should have pushed for Watkins, who is looking to guide Brentford to a promotion push.