Aston Villa great warns Emery not to ruin his relationship with Watkins

In an exclusive interview with AceOdds.com, Aston Villa great Dean Saunders discussed some of the most talked-about topics around The Villans this season, such as Harvey Elliott and Ollie Watkins, who have been struggling to find their best form.

Ollie Watkins scored a brace against Brighton last week, but the striker has had a rough time at Villa Park this season, only having three goals in 21 matches, and he has even been dropped from the starting lineup on multiple occasions.

Harvey Elliott is another player struggling, as he has only played five matches since his arrival, his latest match being more than two months ago.

Dean Saunders shared his thoughts on those two players, and the Welshman is questioning the decisions made by the club in both cases.

Besides Elliott and Watkins struggling, Aston Villa has had a marvellous season so far, currently being third in both the Premier League and the Europa League, and Saunders also spoke about what the expectations should be for Aston Villa this season.

If Elliott was at Liverpool, he would be in the team

Elliott is currently out on loan from Liverpool to Aston Villa, but Saunders reckons that Elliott would get into the team at Liverpool if he played there, despite having struggled to get minutes or even be in the squad at Aston Villa.

“It is a strange one, isn`t it? I think we are all thinking, what is going on there? If Harvey Elliott was at Liverpool, he would be in the team. It is not as big of a mystery as Dele Alli. That was a mystery, but the situation is still a bit similar to his.”

“Either there is an agreement that they have to pay Liverpool a certain amount of money when he has played a certain amount of matches, or the manager just never signed him. They brought in Lindelof, Elliott and Sancho on deadline day. But did he sign any of them?”

“Maybe he is trying to make a point now by saying he doesn`t need them. Harvey Elliott always lifts the tempo. He makes the runs, chases the goalkeeper, closes down properly. He is a good player. Maybe, he is not top notch, but he should be getting games for Aston Villa.”

Villa will hope to firm up their place in the top five this weekend when they travel to face West Ham at London Stadium. They are currently priced at 1/1 to pick up all three points, and if you fancy backing them to do so, you can use our free bet calculator to see how much you could stand to earn.

Saunders warns Emery not to ruin his relationship with Watkins

Ollie Watkins has been Aston Villa’s biggest star for years, and last season he scored 16 goals and made eight assists, but he has been struggling to find his best form, and now Saunders warns manager Unai Emery that he is risking his relationship with Watkins if he keeps putting him on the bench as he has been on multiple occasions this season.

“I like Ollie Watkins and I have stood up for him. When Rashford was there, I remember when he played him over Watkins in the Champions League and the Man City game after that. He was on loan and Watkins got you into Europe with the goals he scored. If I was Ollie Watkins I would be thinking, how can you do that to me?”

“You risk ruining your relationship by leaving him out for a player who was on loan. Nothing against Rashford but he was on loan. Anyway, maybe the relationship is not what it was, but the biggest compliment I can give Ollie Watkins is that he must be doing something right since he is still playing.”

Saunders continues by saying that Aston Villa need Watkins in their team as he is important to their identity on the pitch.

“Every striker in the world except for Harry Kane can go eight matches or more without scoring, but the secret is to stay in the team, which you can do if you work hard, even when you don`t score. You have to stay in the team because you can`t score from the bench.”

“He manages to stay in the team because he works his socks off. Aston Villa needs him in the team, because if he is not playing, Aston Villa is not playing like Aston Villa.”

“Olie Watkins cares about this team and he is in pain, But the fans really like him because he works hard.”

Top four and a trophy for Aston Villa

The former Aston Villa star says that the fans expect the club to finish in the top four in the Premier League and to win a trophy; however, he is well aware that winning the Premier League might be too tough a task for the club.

“Aston Villa is a massive club. When I played, we tried to win the league. They have had so many good players and a massive support. The fans expect the club to finish in the top four and win a trophy. Can they go to Wembley and win something?”

“They know they cannot win the league, because Arsenal, City and Chelsea have better players. They had a bad start to the season but got back on track.”

“The manager knows what he is doing. Brilliant manager.”

Read more as Dean Saunders gives his thoughts on Liverpool's failed pursuit of Marc Guehi