Ollie Watkins to Arsenal transfer collapse leaves Premier League title dream pinned on wonderkid

There was always a chance that the trip to Girona was more about what would happen for Arsenal off the field over the result which was effectively assumed. While Mikel Arteta was adamant he was focused only on the actions of his side on the pitch, the breaking news of a bid for Ollie Watkins superseded any conversations around the club.

In some ways it was a shame because there were talking points from the match that were rather intriguing. A debut for goalkeeper Neto marred by a mistake and David Raya sitting on the sidelines with the briefing from the Arsenal manager that he could certainly not be involved with the clash against Manchester City looming on the near horizon.

Ethan Nwaneri stepped up to help his side turn around an unexpected deficit courtesy of former Tottenham forward Arnaut Danjuma. The 17-year-old may indeed be the best finisher fit and available in the group.

His rise has almost certainly changed the dynamic of the squad and perhaps even the transfer plans for the future. Where many, including myself, have wanted to see the depth options to Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard addressed, allowing Fabio Vieira to leave on loan to promote the Hale End graduate appears a very shrewd decision indeed.

Nwaneri was the main threat and perhaps next was Riccardo Calafiori who had a goal disallowed and a shot from outside the box wide. When the centre-half-turned-left-back has become the second most threatening figure in the side above the likes of Leandro Trossard, Martin Odegaard and Raheem Sterling it's enough to perhaps justify some panicky moves in the remaining days of a transfer window.

That is the feeling I get when it comes to the aforementioned move for Ollie Watkins. football.london understands that despite the suggestion of Aston Villa's irritation at the timing of the move, the bid came before Wednesday night’s matches and there is a feeling the club will return again after the club’s initial approach was turned down.

Arteta was asked after the game for his thoughts after news had broken on Watkins and also whether he was confident reinforcements could be made. While perhaps a semi-predictable response followed, Arteta remained hopeful.

“You know, I cannot talk about any of that,” he replied. “My confidence is that we have an amazing club and people working always to try to improve and let's see what happens.”

On the Aston Villa side, Unai Emery failed to rule out the exit of Watkins, stating that he did not want to lose the forward and that the club would be looking to get the absolute maximum from any sale.

However, should Jhon Duran leave, despite Emery’s lack of a conclusive stance on Watkins, it is football.london’s understanding that Villa see it as impossible to let both of their centre-forwards leave in the same window. The Saudi Arabian window shuts in the coming hours and the Colombian striker’s move is much more advanced with a deal in place and medicals booked, making a sale of Watkins now incredibly unlikely.

Where does this leave Arsenal? It is not a great look, that is for sure and now they have shown their hand regarding the amount of money they could potentially commit this winter to a forward addition, that puts any selling clubs on alert to the Gunners’ capabilities.

Moving for Watkins so late in the window after Gabriel Jesus’ season-ending knee injury on January 12 shows just under two weeks before the move for the Villa forward. Arsenal have been interested in Benjamin Sesko of RB Leipzig but with the German side chasing Champions League qualification for next season, only a fee well over market value would have surely convinced them to sell their star man and the best chance of achieving that goal – a fee that caused Arsenal to switch their crosshairs drastically to the 29-year-old.

If Arsenal are unsuccessful in landing a Watkins and more broadly a centre-forward during the January transfer window, it is definitely a failure and will certainly have ramifications for the viability of challenging for the Premier League and Champions League titles.

Relying on just Kai Havertz and Leandro Trossard as centre-forward options with Bukayo Saka out for at least another month, maybe more, with Liverpool already ahead and Manchester City again gaining momentum having reinforced themselves is a huge task. Many will say the damage was done in the summer, and Arsenal should have moved then.

A fair question, and with Mikel Merino and Raheem Sterling facing questions on their contributions after arriving last year, it only adds further fuel to the fire. The resignation and departure of sporting director Edu Gaspar has furthered doubts about Arsenal’s process and decision-making in the market.

The power that Arteta has and whether Edu’s interim replacement Jason Ayto is able to deliver the players that his manager wants is another question. Fans have long memories and should the first window, if it is to be the first of many, that Ayto leads ending without anyone being signed will become a reference point.

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