After rising through the Villa ranks to become a star, Jack Grealish is always looked up to as a role model, and Unai Emery hopes the young players in his squad can have the same kind of impression at Villa Park that the Manchester City star once did.
Tim Iroegbunam and Jacob Ramsey are two exciting prospects who have been included in the first team, with the latter – who registered 13 goals and assists in the Premier League last season – becoming a key player.
However, there is a figure in the ranks who could surpass them both and become the dream successor to Ollie Watkins.
Ollie Watkins’ 2023/24 PL season
Simply put, Watkins is absolutely instrumental to the way Villa play, their chances of picking up three points, and their overall success.
This season in the Premier League, the England international has started every game, scoring 13 goals and picking up 12 assists, which makes him an extremely valuable asset.
Watkins is currently the joint-top assister in the league, alongside Kieran Trippier, and his ability to win games on his own makes him such a frightening forward to have, as proven by Villa’s recent 2-1 win over Fulham when he scored a brace.
Unfortunately for Villa, his incredible consistency and performances have piqued the interest of other Premier League rivals, with Arsenal being the main club reportedly interested in signing Watkins, and therefore, let’s take a look at who could be the heir to the number 11.
Louie Barry could become Watkins 2.0
Louie Barry is a name that both Villa and Liverpool fans will be very aware of, with the young striker scoring against the Reds in a 4-1 FA Cup defeat back in 2021.
Since then, the “incredible” gem, as per Declan Rice, has yet to receive a real opportunity with the Villa first team, spending most of his time on loan at numerous EFL clubs.
This season, the 20-year-old was starring for League Two leaders Stockport County before picking up a serious hamstring injury, which has kept him out since October.
Any injury is extremely disappointing, but it’s even more frustrating when in excellent form like Barry was. The attacker had scored nine goals and picked up two assists in 15 games. The Villa loanee even holds a club record, scoring in seven consecutive league games.
| Barry’s Stockport Stats | |
|---|---|
| Stats | Barry |
| Minutes per game | 77 |
| Goals | 9 |
| Assists | 2 |
| Shots per game | 2.5 |
| Key passes per game | 1.1 |
| Stats via Sofascore | |
As can be seen in the table above, he was influential for the Hatters at the start of the season, terrorising defenders with his elite movement and direct approach.
A frequent attribute of Barry’s is the ability to drift out wide to the left-hand side, where he can dribble directly at the defender, cut inside, and either curl an effort into the far corner or pull it to the near post. Even the Stockport admin in a live match report said he’s “unstoppable” when he does the above.
