Unai Emery feels in-form Ollie Watkins deserves new Aston Villa contract

By Nick Mashiter, PA

Ollie Watkins deserves a new Aston Villa deal, according to boss Unai Emery.

The striker has scored 12 goals this season as he fires the club towards an unlikely European challenge.

Watkins has scored 10 goals in 17 games since Emery’s appointment and became the first player to net in six consecutive away Premier League games since Sergio Aguero in 2017 after his goal in Tuesday’s 2-1 win at Leicester.

“He deserves to get a new contract, to extend the contract and to get more money. He is deserving. We want to keep him with us,” said Emery, ahead of Saturday’s visit of Nottingham Forest.

“We didn’t speak about it (a contract) because we are very happy with him. We are involved every day with our target in front, collectively and individually.

“I was watching his last season at Brentford. He scores goals. We are trying to use his qualities, his commitment, his power and try to add him to learn different ways to improve. He’s very humble to do it.

“Each session is very good, he’s the example. He wants to learn, improve. He listens to everything. He works on and off the pitch. He thinks only about football and watches clips of him and other strikers.

“It’s a very good example for me to use for other players. Ollie Watkins is 100 per cent committed.”

Villa host Forest sitting seventh in the Premier League as they look to gatecrash the European spots after winning five of their last six games.

Matty Cash (thigh), Philippe Coutinho (hamstring) and Boubacar Kamara (ankle) are out.

Emery added: “We have to be very demanding and responsible and be excited about the possibility to get a better position in the table.

“Now we are in the top 10 but from here until the end of the season we have to keep consistent because now the next step, to try to get a European position, means we are fighting against Chelsea, Liverpool, Brighton, Brentford.

“We know we have to be very consistent. We have improved but not enough.”