Aston Villa’s never-say-die attitude was on full display during their most recent Premier League clash against Arsenal.
With Liverpool extending their lead at the top of the table courtesy of two late Darwin Núñez goals, the Gunners knew nothing else than a victory against Unai Emery’s side would give them a major boost in the title race.
Mikel Arteta’s men scored twice to open up a two-goal advantage with just over 30 minutes remaining, and it looked like they were closing in on three points.
13 minutes later, Villa had netted two goals of their own to even things up, showing wonderful grit to come back into the game and secure a positive result.
Youri Tielemans netted Villa’s first goal before Ollie Watkins scored the equaliser with a fierce finish.
New signing Donyell Malen was in the matchday squad, but he didn’t make it onto the pitch during the game.
The Dutchman joined from Borussia Dortmund recently and could add some more firepower to Emery’s squad.
Why Aston Villa signed Donyell Malen
Emery knew that bringing in a few players during the January transfer window could boost the club’s chances of finishing in the top four of the Premier League table, thus qualifying for the Champions League yet again.
While the likes of Jhon Duran and Morgan Rogers have been excellent this season, luring a player such as Malen certainly gives Villa another edge going forward, while adding competition for the attacking players in the squad.
An initial reported fee of £21m was spent on bringing Malen to the Premier League, while the total deal could well be worth around £27.7m including performance-related add-ons.
On the surface, it sounds like a bargain. How good is the former Dortmund star, however?
Well, the 26-year-old tends to operate across the front three, deployed on either flank or occasionally as a centre-forward.
During the first half of the season for Dortmund, he wasn’t exactly prolific, scoring just five goals across 21 matches in all competitions, although two goals and an assist came in the Champions League, proving that he can perform at the highest level.
As well as these goal contributions in Europe’s premier club competition, Malen also registered 1.8 shots per game, averaged 0.6 key passes, and created a big chance while succeeding with 0.6 dribbles.
These statistics might not sound exciting, but given he averaged just 48 minutes per game, it shows how effective he can be despite limited time on the pitch. Villa fans know that all too well with how effective Jhon Duran is with limited game time.
Market Movers
Football FanCast's Market Movers series explores the changing landscape of the modern transfer market. How much is your club's star player or biggest flop worth today?
If he can produce the goods for Emery, then his market value will only continue to rise as time marches on. That’s for sure.
That said, Villa do already have a player within their ranks who is worth close to double that of the Dutch maestro, one that hasn’t quite been at their best throughout the current campaign…
The Aston Villa star who is worth more than Malen
Last season, Watkins reaped the rewards of becoming Emery’s main man up front, scoring an impressive tally of 27 goals while registering 13 assists, showcasing his many attacking talents.
When compared to his positional peers in the top flight last season, the Englishman ranked in the top 1% for assists (0.36), the top 7% for goal-creating actions (0.73) and in the top 26% for touches in the attacking penalty area (6.01) per 90.
These statistics proved that he was certainly one of the best centre-forwards in the Premier League during 2023/24. A season like this should have pushed Watkins on to better things this term, but it hasn’t worked out like that.
So far, the striker has scored just ten goals in 29 appearances for the club, recording seven assists in the process. With Duran finally bursting through to make a big impression, Watkins has endured a tough time of things recently.
His goal against Arsenal could be the catalyst for him to enjoy a solid second half of the season, no doubt about that.
Goals
19
10
Assists
13
4
Big chances created
11
4
Key passes per game
1.2
0.8
Shots per game
2.9
2.6
Defender Conor Coady hailed Watkins as a “nightmare” to play against following a match last season and if he can return to that sort of form, it will be a boost for Emery.
Ollie Watkins’ market value in 2025
Although the England international might not have been at his very best this season, his displays for club and country have seen his value soar recently with Villa truly striking gold on their initial investment of £28m.
Now, according to Transfermarkt, the striker is valued at €55m (£47m), which means the club could secure a major profit on him if Emery ever decided to cash in on the player.
Additionally, the 28-year-old is worth nearly double the value of new signing Malen, suggesting that the club have well and truly hit the jackpot on the 18-cap hitman.
Under Emery, Watkins has developed from a reliable top-flight centre-forward into one of the best finishers in the division, ensuring he has reached his full potential in the Midlands.
If he can use his goal against Arsenal as a starting point to go on a decent run over the next couple of months, then it could push Villa towards the top four of the table.
This could see his valuation soar even further. That’s a certainty.
He's better than Bade: Aston Villa keen on signing "monster" defender
Aston Villa could make an even better move than Bade by signing this experienced “monster”
ByConnor Holden