Arsenal urged to sign ‘proven’ Premier League star if £150m transfer fails

Arsenal have been urged to sign ‘proven’ Premier League star Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa if they can’t sign £150m striker Alexander Isak.

The Gunners have long been in desperate need of a new forward and look set to finally bring in a new goalscorer in the next summer transfer window.

Isak has been at the top of Arsenal’s wishlist for a while but Newcastle United are unwilling to sell and the Gunners view him as too expensive.

Isak’s price means Arsenal are looking at other options and it’s reported that they’re preparing a bumper contract offer for Viktor Gyokeres.

RB Leipzig forward Benjamin Sesko has also been linked to the Emirates but football pundit Jermaine Pennant feels Watkins would be a better pick.

Watkins became Aston Villa’s all-time top Premier League goalscorer on Saturday with his strike against AFC Bournemouth securing a 1-0 victory.

Arsenal spurned the opportunity to sign Watkins in January but Pennant says the Gunners should go back in for him at the end of the season.

‘Arsenal do need a striker,’ Pennant told aceodds.com. ‘If they’ve got the money, get Isak.

‘But I think they should go back into the market for Ollie Watkins. I think he would be great.

‘Everyone wants Isak, that’s obvious. But if they can’t splash £150m on him, then go and get Watkins. He’s got an eye for goal, he’s got pace, he’s an international and I think he would work well in [Mikel] Arteta’s system.

‘He can link up play. He’s got it all, to be fair to him, and it’ll be cut-price compared to Isak.

‘Watkins is a proven Premier League player, so he’s a better bet than someone like Gyokeres. We’ve seen Darwin Nunez light it up in Portugal and struggle in England.’

Speaking earlier this month, fellow football pundit Rio Ferdinand said that Watkins ‘deserves’ a move to Arsenal in the summer transfer window.

‘He’s one of the main reasons as to why [Aston Villa are] playing Champions League football and playing at this level,’ Ferdinand said.

‘I think for any defender he’s a hard day’s work, 100 per cent, he’s added quality to his game over the last few years.

‘His route to the top hasn’t been conventional, no academies, he’s worked his way here and he deserves everything he gets.

‘I wasn’t surprised Arsenal came in for him because I think he deserves that given the performances and the output he’s been putting in.’

England international Watkins has registered a total of 87 goals and 41 assists across 221 games for Aston Villa to date.