Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Chronicle Live
Chronicle Live
Sport
Andrew Musgrove

Who is Ollie Watkins? Everything you need to know about Newcastle United target

Newcastle United are considering a move for Brentford striker Ollie Watkins.

With the Bees failing to secure promotion to the Premier League - they now face a fight to hold on to their top stars.

Watkins netted 26 goals in the Championship this season - taking his tally to 45 goals in 132 games in the second tier.

Here's what we know about him.

Age, and background

Born December 1995, the 24-year-old started out at Exeter City working through the youth ranks before breaking into the first team after a loan spell at Weston Super Mare.

After scoring 10 goals in the Conference South in a single season - Watkins then found his shooting boots in League Two, hitting 23 goals in his next 68 appearances.

That was enough to secure a move to Brentford.

His time at Brentford

He secured a move to the Championship in July 2017 for a fee thought to be just under £2m.

Used primarily as a wide man - he scored 10 goals in each of his first three seasons before moving into a central role following the sale of Neal Maupay to Brighton.

That worked wonders - Watkins hit 26 goals in the 2019-20 season as Brentford fell to Fulham in the play-off final.

What they say about him

Bees boss Thomas Frank has been impressed with Watkins' transformation.

“I normally call him the beast,” Frank told Sky Sports. “He’s a remarkable player and person. He’s so dedicated.

"He’s so dedicated to improving every single day, so he’s a coach’s dream because of course, we want to focus on little details. We’ve been working very hard on his positions and how to run in the box and the link-up play.

“Overall he’s just improved massively as a player and also as part of the leading group,” Frank added. “He’s driving the team. Look out there how hard he works – it’s a joy to have a striker like that.

“He’s one of the hardest, if not the hardest working offensive player in the league, and he’s also the top scorer. That’s not a bad combination.”

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.