Ollie Watkins Apologizes to Aston Villa Teammates After Exit

Unai Emery revealed that Ollie Watkins apologised to his Aston Villa teammates for refusing to play on Sunday, as the head coach delivered a heartfelt farewell to the club’s departing record scorer.

Watkins, who sat out the game against Brighton after making himself unavailable for selection, is expected in Saudi Arabia on Friday to complete a £51m move to Al-Hilal. Villa are set to respond by finalising a £65m deal for Chelsea forward Nicolas Jackson, closing one era and opening another in rapid succession.

Emery made it clear that, despite the flashpoint at the weekend, Watkins leaves with his respect firmly intact.

“He told us after the Brighton match he was sorry and that he had made a mistake. He was wrong, but we accepted it. The players as well,” Emery said, underlining how quickly the dressing room chose to draw a line under the incident.

The numbers alone tell the story of Watkins’ impact. Since arriving from Brentford for £28m in 2020, he has become Villa’s all-time leading Premier League scorer with 91 goals, and 108 in all competitions. He carried the attack through multiple rebuilds, fronted the club’s return to European football, and turned himself into an England international in claret and blue.

For Emery, it was about more than goals.

“His commitment and his behaviour was fantastic. He's a fantastic guy – a fantastic guy even more than a player,” the Spaniard said, describing a goodbye that was anything but cold. “I told him 'bye' with a huge hug and with small tears.”

The brief rebellion before his exit will linger as a footnote, but the manager’s words made it clear how he wants Watkins to be remembered: as the forward who dragged Villa up the table, not the one who refused one final outing.

Now Villa pivot to Jackson.

“But now it's a new chapter here with Nicolas Jackson,” Emery added, drawing a firm line under the Watkins era.

A record scorer leaves, a big-money replacement arrives, and the standards do not shift. At Villa, the message is simple: sentiment is acknowledged, but the project moves on.