A resurfaced video of Ollie Watkins has shed light on his feelings about a move to Arsenal.
Speculation surrounding a move for the England international has been rampant in recent days with the January transfer deadline rapidly approaching.
Mail Sport revealed last week that the Gunners had tabled an opening bid for the striker, with subsequent reports claiming the deal was worth in excess of £60million.
However, the bid was rejected outright by Aston Villa, who are understood to be determined to keep their Premier League top scorer at the club.
Arsenal are expected to continue their pursuit with an improved offer, but any potential move has been complicated by Villa striker Jhon Duran joining Saudi side Al-Nassr.
With his future at Villa Park shrouded in uncertainty, Arsenal fans shared an interview from the 2020 London Football Awards on social media.
Ollie Watkins called playing for Arsenal his ‘dream move’ in a resurfaced video from 2020
Mikel Arteta has been targeting a move for the Aston Villa star as he looks to increase his side’s firepower
At the time Watkins was plying his trade in the Championship with Brentford, and was named the EFL Player of the Year at the ceremony as the Bees went on to narrowly miss out on promotion to the top flight.
Asked whether he would like to one day play in the Premier League, Watkins responded in the affirmative before detailing his love for the Gunners.
‘That’s the goal to get to the Premier League,’ he said.
‘I’m an Arsenal fan and Thierry Henry was unbelievable to watch, he was my idol growing up.’
He continued: ‘That’s the dream to play for Arsenal. It’s a long shot. It’s only because my family support them and stuff like that but that is the long term dream.’
Though Brentford would ultimately lose the play-off final against Fulham, Watkins secured a Premier League move that summer when then-Villa boss Dean Smith brought him to the West Midlands.
Watkins would go on to be the club’s top goalscorer in his first season of top-flight football, netting 14 times in 37 appearances.
Since then he has remained a consistent threat for the Villans, scoring double figures in each of his five Premier League seasons, including the current campaign.
Watkins currently sits second in Villa’s all-time top goalscorers in the Premier League era, just four behind current leader Gabriel Agbonlahor.
