Since Liverpool, Arsenal, and Manchester City are competing for the Premier League title, much of the conversation regarding the Player of the Season race has centered around Mohamed Salah, Bukayo Saka, Rodri, Phil Foden, and now Kai Havertz.
But perhaps the Premier League Player of the Season is starring for another club in the top four, Aston Villa. Because when assessing the overall impact one player is having on a team, Ollie Watkins just might be in a league of his own.
Watkins has been one of the best strikers in European football this season and has arguably usurped Harry Kane as the most well-rounded No. 9 on the planet in 2023/24.
Thanks to Watkins’ 19 goals and 12 assists, Aston Villa are obtaining an even firmer grip on the fourth and final Champions League qualification place in the Premier League.
Watkins is coming up big against all types of opponents, consistently scoring goals in Europe’s most competitive league while creating chances at the level of an elite playmaker.
Aston Villa have a strong squad and other top-class attacking players, such as former Bayer Leverkusen winger duo Leon Bailey and Moussa Diaby.
Yet there is no mistaking that this team belongs to Ollie Watkins. If you take Havertz, Foden, Salah, or any other big star in the Player of the Season conversation out from their teams, the drop-off surely wouldn’t be as big as taking Watkins’ 30+ goal contributions out of Aston Villa.
Unai Emery and Aston Villa have written one of the best stories in European football this season, a continuation off their mildly surprise Conference League qualification in 2022/23.
Aston Villa are becoming a truly impressive side in the Premier League and in the context of European football as a whole, and the excellence of Ollie Watkins is the oh-so-elegant binding of that book.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.