Ollie Watkins faces a pivotal moment in his career as he aims to force Thomas Tuchel to reconsider his World Cup plans by powering Aston Villa into the Champions League. Former Villa and England star Gareth Barry believes Watkins is undervalued and deserves greater recognition.
Watkins was notably absent from Tuchel’s 35-man squad for upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan, with Dominic Solanke and Dominic Calvert-Lewin preferred instead. This omission was a significant disappointment for Watkins, who notably scored the winning goal against the Netherlands, securing England’s place in the Euro 2024 final.
Despite the setback, Barry encourages the 30-year-old striker not to lose faith in his quest to become Harry Kane’s primary backup at the World Cup in the United States. “Ollie is genuinely underrated. Villa miss him whenever he’s not on the pitch. Strikers miss chances—that’s inevitable—but his goal-scoring record speaks for itself,” Barry said.
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“The latest England squad snub is tough, but I hope Ollie has spoken to Thomas Tuchel, because in my opinion, he deserves a spot ahead of Solanke and Calvert-Lewin based on his consistent form this season. The remaining seven games are a chance for him to prove that and secure a place in the 26-man squad.”
Barry, a former World Cup player himself during his Villa days, urges Watkins to channel any frustration from the England omission into Villa’s Premier League and Europa League pursuits. Aston Villa sit fourth in the Premier League with seven matches left and face a two-legged Europa Conference League quarter-final against Bologna next month.
“He’ll be motivated to finish strong, score goals, help Villa qualify for the Champions League, and win silverware. That would be monumental for him,” Barry added.
Watkins hasn’t enjoyed the same goal-scoring success this season, netting only 10 league and cup goals after breaking Gabby Agbonlahor’s record to become Villa’s all-time leading Premier League scorer last year. Despite this dip and new competition from Tammy Abraham, Barry remains confident in Watkins’s place among Villa’s best.
“I loved playing alongside Gabby, who was underrated too, and Ollie breaking his record speaks volumes,” Barry said. “Both are hardworking team players who make intelligent runs behind defenses. Fans can get impatient at times, but Ollie is undoubtedly one of Villa’s top Premier League strikers, and his goals prove that.”
In addition to his football career, Gareth Barry is now the official ‘Angry Ambassador’ for the new Angry Birds game launching at TOCA Social venues across the UK from March 30. The experience will be available at the Bullring in Birmingham, The O2, and Westfield White City.