Villa Win But Still No Goal For Watkins: Is He Finished?

Four In Five For Villa

It was a happy Sunday afternoon for Aston Villa fans as they beat relegation-threatened Leeds United 2-1 at Elland Road. It wasn't as comfortable as it could've been, with the home side dominating the first half. However, Unai Emery clearly whipped his team back into shape at half-time for a much-improved second half performance.

England star Morgan Rogers netted twice in the second half to give Villa the victory. His first was a tricky flick which outsmarted Leeds keeper Lucas Perri but his second was a free-kick even Cristiano Ronaldo would be proud of. The ball had that much movement on it, Perri was rooted to the spot. It was an uplifting second half performance from Villa. Nevertheless, there is still a worry that Villa's main man Ollie Watkins is still struggling to get on the scoresheet. He was close today, but close is never enough in the Premier League.

The Stats Don't Lie

It's one goal in 17 games in league and cup competitions for Watkins this season, and it's not looking good.

He has been struggling to find the net for Villa this season and you can see his frustration on the pitch. It's his own standards which seem to be affecting his performance. Remember the 2023/24 season, he was practically unplayable netting 19 goals and registering 15 assists that season. Stats aren't always reliable in football, but they tell the story unfortunately for Watkins.

He has proved season upon season that he isn't just a reliable goal scorer. His presence either out wide or as the number 9 is often unmatched creatively yet, he hasn't registered a single assist this season. The age-old saying that Watkins should be a good player because of his age isn't helping his cause. The striker is currently meant to be in his 'prime', but those days seem to be behind him.

World Cup Looming

There is no doubt that the upcoming World Cup must be playing on Watkins' mind. It is common knowledge that England have somewhat of a striker problem if for any reason Harry Kane is to get injured. Watkins would usually be the first in line to replace him but if his performances carry on then it could be a possibility that he won't even make the squad. Okay that might be a stretch, but his English co-star Danny Welbeck is having a great season with Brighton. Ivan Toney's name is back among the mix too.

Thomas Tuchel isn't afraid of changing England's dynamic either, with Anthony Gordon and Phil Foden both featuring up top for The Three Lions. He hasn't done enough this season to impress the new England boss in the slightest, and it isn't enough to rely on past seasons to feature for your country. We will always remember your Euro semi-final goal against Netherlands though. That would be enough for some.

•Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins• pic.twitter.com/73ggQWGyX5

— SimpsonsEFL (@EflSimpsons) November 6, 2025

Fanbase Turning The Other Way

Another goalless performance for Watkins means the X haters are coming for him. Football can be a cruel world at times, and social media can be very unforgiving for those underperforming. One X user said: "He's absolutely useless. Don't tell me his hold up brings any advantage. It doesn't."

It's hard to see such a great player having a tough time, especially one as humble as Watkins. But the critics aren't in his favour, especially those at Arsenal as they were close to signing him in the summer. Another X user said that his side had "dodged a bullet" by not signing the 29-year-old. To be fair to Arsenal fans, they made the right call in signing Ebere Eze instead.

Villa fans seem to be turning their heads away from Watkins despite all he had done for the club and with age against him, he could be out the door next summer. He still has three years left on his deal, so a team would have to spend some money to sign him. How the mighty can fall.

A New Star In The Midlands

What today's victory against Leeds also showed for Villa, was that Morgan Rogers could be the one to drive them back to where they should be. The 23-year-old showed that he can carry the team on his back, chipping in with a double this afternoon.

Much like Watkins, his scoring ability sometimes overshadows how creative he can be with the ball and also how brilliant his movement is as well. However unlike Watkins, Rogers is still a young player and despite being a great player at present, there is still a lot more to come from him.

The Villa forward can operate in a number of attacks but is most influential as a number 10. Thomas Tuchel has been rather fond of Rogers starting him in most of their World Cup qualifying games over the likes of Jude Bellingham and Phil Foden. When Kane drops deep, Rogers is brilliant in moving in-behind and making attacking runs.

Villa also have Evann Guessand waiting in the wings to shine for Villa. The Ivory Coast forward signed from Nice this summer and is yet to register a goal or assist for the club but in limited game time in all fairness. Could it be time for Unai Emery to drop his usually reliable number 11?

This is Evann Guessand at Nice last season.

Watching this, you can see a lot of the good work he’s doing is through the middle as a centre forward rather than on the wing.

With Ollie Watkins struggling at the moment, would you try him up front? 🎯 #avfcpic.twitter.com/rrNHehELgM

— 𝐓𝐨𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐕𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚 (@Total_Villa) November 20, 2025