Manchester United legend, Rio Ferdinand, believes Ollie Watkins still deserves to play for Arsenal.
This is coming after the Gunners saw their January transfer bid rejected by Aston Villa.
Ferdinand revealed that Watkins is definitely a cult hero at Aston Villa because he is one of the main reasons they played UCL football this season.
According to him, the England striker is definitely a difficult opponent for any defender because his quality in and out of the box is simply phenomenal.
“I think he’s a cult hero here. He’s one of the main reasons as to why they’re playing Champions League football and playing at this level. 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,” he said.
Rio said that Arsenal going for Ollie in January wasn’t shocking to him because his performance and output last season were always pointing in that direction.
He believes the England international deserves the chance to play for a big team like Arsenal, especially when it is obvious to EPL fans that he has what it takes to make an instant Impact at any club that needs a finisher.
“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,” he added.
Arsenal reportedly placed a transfer bid for Ollie Watkins in the January window, however, Aston Villa turned it down and instead sold Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr, much to Watkins’ frustration.
The Gunners are set to storm the transfer market in the summer in search of a quality striker ahead of the 2025-26 season, and the North London club have set their sights on Sporting CP’s Viktor Gyokeres and RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko as Mikel Arteta desperately tries to sign a finisher that’ll take his team to the next level.
