Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins is having another impressive season and is in the running to make the England squad for this summer’s European Championships.
The 28-year-old striker scored his 11th goal of the season in Villa’s recent 5-0 win over Sheffield United. The match also emphasised just how vital the former Brentford striker is to Villa, as he also recorded his 12th, 13th, and 14th assists of the season in the demolition job.
So with Watkins arguably now in the best form of his career, what are his chances of being named in Gareth Southgate’s squad for the Euros?
Welcome back to the #Three Lions squad, Ollie Watkins! pic.twitter.com/fqfxC6rQ6v
— England (@England) Oct ober 5, 2023
What do the bookmakers say?
Ollie Watkins is 1/2 with the bookmakers to make Southgate’s squad. That said, he is far from certain to go to Germany. The likes of Jordan Pickford are 1/12. Which says that the Everton keeper is on the plane, barring an injury.
It does beg the question, what exactly does Watkins have to do to make the squad? In the latest EPL top goalscorer odds, at 12/1, Dominic Solanke is the only English striker with shorter odds than Watkins (14/1). Harry Kane is above both Solanke and Watkins in the pecking order. But after the England captain, surely Watkins is now just as good an option as anybody else?
Is Dominic Solanke a threat?
Comparing Watkins with Solanke is more realistic than doing so with Harry Kane. Watkins and Solanke are both vying to be Kane’s understudy. So, this effectively means that Southgate has to take the player he feels replicates Kane the best.
Like Kane, Watkins also gets assists. This will surely be a factor when Southgate makes his decision. As we already know, Watkins has 14 assists this season. Solanke has just two.
10/10 – Ollie Watkins (11 goals, 10 assists) is the first player to reach double figures for both goals and assists in the Premier League this season and the first player to achieve this for Aston Villa in a top-flight campaign since Dwight Yorke in 1995-96. Influential. pic.twitter.com/xz5jblf9Fh
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) Feb ruary 3, 2024
Who else might break into the England squad?
Out-and-out English centre forwards are becoming rare in the EPL these days. Players like Marcus Rashford, who can play up front or out wide, are more the norm. And the days of playing two out-and-out centre forwards seem to be a thing of the past.
This is why there is probably only going to be room for Kane and one other in the England squad.
Luckily for Watkins, there aren’t many other rivals for the second striker’s spot. Solanke is one, and the only other viable option would probably be Callum Wilson of Newcastle.
But Wilson isn’t having a great season. He’s been injured at times, and when he has been playing, it’s at times when the team has been struggling. Wilson went to the 2022 World Cup. But he will be 32 by the time the UEFA competition begins in June. And with his injury record, Southgate may well decide to overlook the former Coventry striker for this tournament.
Shoot-out for the rest of the season
Ultimately, this could come down to who finishes the season the strongest. Like Newcastle in recent weeks, Villa’s season has hit the buffers a bit. If this is just a blip and Unai Emery gets the team performing again, it goes without saying that Watkins will be amongst the goals.
The statistics tell us that Watkins regularly scores and assists. And if he carries on contributing in the same manner for the remainder of the season, he should ensure the decision is an easy one for Southgate. And he will be on the plane to Germany.