LaLiga’s top scorer is the bargain star Aston Villa need for Watkins support

Robin Bairner

• Updated: 20 May 2024 11:47 BST
• 9 min read

As Aston Villa gear up for their first campaign in the Champions League, it is clear that Unai Emery’s squad will need to be strengthened.

The Villans’ form fell away late in the season following a gruelling sequence of matches, with the Birmingham side picking up just two points from their final four games of the Premier League campaign.

This should be taken as a warning shot about what could materialise next season, when the level of midweek European matches will step up for Emery & Co.

READ MORE: Premier League Team of the Season

While Aston Villa’s priority this summer must be retaining Ollie Watkins, it is also evident that the forward needs greater support.

Jhon Duran might have shown some promise this season in a supporting role to Watkins, but he is not yet a player who can be leaned upon to offer guaranteed quality at the highest level. Eight goals across all competitions next season as a second-choice No.9 simply won’t cut it for a team seeking to replicate their heroics of this campaign.

READ MORE: Latest Aston Villa transfer rumours

STATS

Ollie Watkins

F (CL), AM (L)

Aston Villa

Ollie Watkins

F (CL), AM (L)

Aston Villa

All Tournaments

2023/24

• 52

  Games

• 27

  Goals

• 13

  Assists

View all stats

Sorloth a strong transfer candidate

Villa need a player to plug the gap and should they make a move for such a figure could do worse than look at LaLiga top scorer Alexander Sorloth to help fill that void.

Sorloth is enjoying a remarkable season with Villarreal, capped on Sunday by his four-goal salvo against Real Madrid in an incredible 4-4 draw.

It carried the 28-year-old to 23 goals for the league campaign. He has 15 strikes in his last 11 games, including two doubles, a hat-trick and that memorable quad.

He may look an unremarkable forward, but he is putting up some remarkable numbers, and it is this type of player Villa could use to bolster their squad.

After all, Sorloth is cut from the same cloth as Watkins when it comes to playing the centre-forward role. Both are poachers who show characteristics of being a mobile striker.

There are differences, too, which could offer Emery welcome tactical options. While Watkins is energetic and presses, Sorloth acts as more of a target man. Clearly, they wouldn’t play together, but as alternatives, they could complement one another.

Sorloth and Watkins playing styles

Sorloth is given a SciSkill score of 103.5, which is calculated using hundreds of in-game data points.

Watkins, meanwhile, is Villa's best player at 116.4 but there is a huge gulf to Duran at 61.9. While the 20-year-old will grow, the Norway star at 103.5 can plug that gap in the meantime to give him time.

Villa are a nice fit for Sorloth, too.

Data analytics firm SciSports give the Premier League side a strong Club Fit score of 79 based around factors such as potential development, playing time, style and formation.

Villa score well on all counts aside from playing time, but it would be clear to Sorloth that he would be joining up as support to Watkins.

This is reflected in his Estimated Transfer Value of €15 million a potential bargain.

And with Aston Villa already negotiating with the Spanish side over a deal with thrilling full-back Alex Baena, it surely wouldn’t hurt to ask about signing Sorloth too.