Watkins apologised for refusing to play, says Emery, as Al-Hilal move nears

Ollie Watkins apologised to Unai Emery and the Aston Villa dressing room after refusing to play against Brighton on Sunday, the Villa boss has confirmed. Emery said the apology was accepted and used his press conference to pay an emotional tribute to a striker who leaves as the club’s record Premier League scorer with 91 goals. The 30-year-old is reportedly expected in Saudi Arabia on Friday to complete a £51m transfer to Al-Hilal.

What Emery said about the apology

Emery confirmed that Watkins apologised for making himself unavailable for the Brighton fixture and that both he and the squad accepted it. The Spaniard praised the forward’s behaviour across his entire Villa career and refused to let one late-window incident define five seasons of work.

It is dressing-room management at its most pragmatic. Once a player knows a £51m move is waiting, keeping his head in a Premier League Sunday is close to impossible, and Emery chose to say so publicly rather than turn the episode into a disciplinary story.

The Al-Hilal move is reported, not confirmed

Nothing has been officially announced. Watkins is reported to be travelling to Saudi Arabia to finalise a deal worth around £51m to Al-Hilal, and until either club confirms it, the move remains at the reported stage.

Al-Hilal are no strangers to headline signings from Europe. The Riyadh club officially announced Neymar’s arrival from Paris Saint-Germain in 2023, the deal that pushed the Saudi Pro League into the middle of the European transfer market rather than the edges of it.

Villa’s replacement plan: Nicolas Jackson

Villa are said to be poised to finalise the signing of Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson for a reported £65m. That deal has also not been formally confirmed by either club at the time of writing.

Tactically, it is a swap rather than a like-for-like replacement. Watkins built his output on relentless runs in behind and box discipline; Jackson, the Senegal international, offers raw acceleration and a different kind of threat in transition. Emery will be rebuilding his front line with the season already underway.

What Watkins gave Aston Villa

Watkins leaves as Aston Villa’s record Premier League goalscorer on 91 goals. He signed from Brentford for £28m in 2020, a fee that now looks like one of the smartest pieces of business any Premier League club did that decade.

His five years traced the club’s whole arc, from relegation anxiety to European nights, and he did it while becoming an England international. That context is exactly why Emery reached for tribute rather than punishment.

The wider Premier League picture

Saudi interest arriving after the European window has closed is now a recurring problem for Premier League clubs, and the Watkins situation is a textbook example: a proven 20-goal forward becomes available to a buyer at a price no domestic rival is likely to match.

For Villa, the outcome hinges on Jackson settling quickly. Replacing 91 goals of accumulated understanding with Emery’s system is not a transfer-fee problem, it is a timing problem, and Villa are solving it in September rather than July.

FAQ