Brentford striker Ollie Watkins has revealed that signing for Arsenal would be a “dream” for him, talking to the Sports Gazzette, while he also conceded that it would be a “long shot”.
The 24-year old has been on electric goalscoring form for the Bees this season, having scored 22 goals in 35 Championship appearances, putting him just one goal behind the league’s top scorer Aleksandar Mitrovic.
Watkins has helped fire Brentford into the Championship play-off places, as the London club look to win promotion to the Premier League for the first time.
While Watkins claimed that his chances of signing for Arsenal were a “long shot” at the London Football Awards, he has been linked with a number of Premier League clubs in recent weeks, and Arsenal could do much worse than consider the striker.
With Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future currently up in the air, Arsenal may have need for offensive recruits in the summer, and Watkins could be someone that the Gunners could consider if they’re looking for a long-term squad option.
Not everyone can make the jump from scoring 20+ goal in the Championship to succeeding in the Premier League, but it could be worth it from Arsenal’s perspective, as they look to break back into the top four.
With Alexandre Lacazette, Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli, Nicolas Pepe and Reiss Nelson, Arsenal have plenty of options should Aubameyang depart, but with only the former two players being naturally suited to play in the centre, Watkins would bolster that position.
Watkins has also operated on the left and on the right on the rare occasion this season, and his versatility could endear him to Mikel Arteta even more so.
Aresenal haven’t been named specifically as an interested club in Watkins this summer, but with the forward wanting the move and with his form having shown that he deserves a top-flight opportunity, perhaps he could be the man that Arsenal need to bolster their attacking options.
