£33m star ‘had tense relationship with Gerrard’ at Villa Park

Aston Villa star Ollie Watkins ‘did not have a strong relationship with Steven Gerrard’ during his Villa Park reign, according to journalist Dean Jones.

Gerrard was sacked by the Midlands giants last week, having made a poor start to the Premier League campaign.

What’s the latest news involving Watkins?

Prior to Gerrard’s dismissal, it was reported that Leeds United could reignite their interest in Watkins and a hefty bid may tempt Villa into sanctioning his departure.

It was claimed during the summer transfer window that the striker was on the market due to having a tense relationship with his then-boss, but that was dismissed as ‘absolute nonsense’ by Villa communications director Tommy Jordan.

Watkins will now be looking to catch the eye of Unai Emery, who was appointed as the club’s new head coach earlier this week.

The frontman, who made the £33million move to Villa Park from Brentford two years ago, has already started the post-Gerrard era in fine fashion.

Watkins rounded off the scoring as Villa recorded a comfortable 4-0 win over his former employers under the tutelage of caretaker manager Aaron Danks last weekend.

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What has Dean Jones said about Watkins?

Jones understands that Watkins and Gerrard did not have a particularly good relationship while the latter was in the Villa dugout.

The journalist believes they did not see eye-to-eye after Gerrard was appointed as the Premier League club’s head coach last November.

He feels Watkins’ form suffered because of failing to get on with the then-chief at Villa Park.

Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “All of Ollie Watkins’ problems were related to the fact he didn’t have a strong relationship with Steven Gerrard. There was friction between the pair.”

How has Watkins performed so far this season?

Watkins ended a two-month goal duck when he found the back of the net against Brentford last week, but he has remained a key man despite his lack of end product since the start of the campaign.

The 26-year-old’s profligacy has coincided with Villa’s struggles, with them sitting just three points clear of the Premier League’s relegation zone.

But the blame for the worrying results under Gerrard should not fall squarely on Watkins’ shoulders as statistics show that only Emiliano Martinez, Ashley Young and Leon Bailey boast a better average match rating in the top flight.

He has also got 2.3 shots away per game in the Premier League, so Watkins’ effort during the early stages of the season cannot be faulted.

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