Aston Villa hit the jackpot on a “nightmare” star.

Aston VillaThe never-say-die attitude was on full display during their last one Premier League clash against Arsenal.

As Liverpool extended their lead at the top of the table thanks to two late goals from Darwin Núñez, the Gunners knew nothing but victory against Unai Emery‘this side would give them a big boost in the title race.

Mikel Arteta’s men scored twice with just over 30 minutes to go and looked to be closing in on the three points.

13 minutes later, Villa scored two goals of their own to equalise, showing great courage to get back into the game and secure a positive result.

Your Tielemans scored Villa’s first goal before Ollie Watkins achieved the equalizer with a fierce finish.

New signing Donyell Malen was in the lineup for the match, but did not arrive on the field during the match.

The Dutchman recently joined from Borussia Dortmund and could add some more strength to Emery’s squad.

Why Aston Villa signed Donyell Malen

Emery knew that bringing in several players during the January transfer window could boost the club’s chances of finishing in the top four of the Premier League table, thereby qualifying for the Champions League once again.

As long as he likes it John Duran and Morgan Rogers they have been excellent this season, luring a player like Malen certainly gives Villa another advantage going forward, while adding competition for 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 be worth around £27.7m, including performance-related bonuses.

On the surface, it sounds like a bargain. However, how good is the former Dortmund star?

Well, the 26-year-old tends to operate across the front three, deployed on either flank or occasionally as a central striker.

During the first half of the season for Dortmund, he was not very productive, scoring only five goals in 21 games in all competitions, although he scored two goals and an assist in the Champions League, proving that he can play at the highest level.

As well as these goals in the biggest European club competition, Malen also recorded 1.8 shots per gamehe averaged 0.6 key passes and created a big chance while managing 0.6 dribbles.

This stat may not sound exciting, but considering he only averaged 48 minutes per game, it shows how effective he can be despite his limited time on the court. Villa fans know this well given how effective Jhon Duran has been with limited playing time.

If he can produce the goods for Emery, his market value will only continue to rise as time goes on. That’s for sure.

That said, Villa already have a player in their ranks worth almost twice as much as the Dutch maestro, a player who hasn’t been at his best during 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 in attack, scoring an impressive score of 27 goals while registering 13 assists, showing off his many attacking talents.

Compared to his positional peers in the first division last season, the Englishman ranked in top 1% for assists (0.36), in the top 7% for goal-scoring 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 encouraged Watkins to do better this season, but it didn’t turn out that way.

So far, the striker has scored only ten goals in 29 appearances for the club, while also registering seven assists. With Duran finally able to make a big impression, Watkins has gone through some tough times recently.

His goal against Arsenal could be the catalyst for him to enjoy a solid second half of the season, no doubt about that.

Defender Conor Coady welcomed Watkins as a “nightmare” to play against after the game last season and if he can get back to that kind of form, it will be a boost for Emery.

Ollie Watkins Market Value 2025

While the England international may not have been at his best this season, his performances for club and country have seen a jump in value recently, and Villa have indeed struck gold. an initial investment of £28 million.

Now, according to Transfermarkt, the striker is estimated at €55m (£47m)meaning the club could secure a big profit on him if Emery ever decides to cash in on the player.

Additionally, the 28-year-old is worth almost twice as much as new signing Malen, suggesting the club have well and truly hit the jackpot on A killer with 18 titles.

Under Emery, Watkins has developed from a reliable Premier League centre-forward into one of the best finishers in the division, ensuring he reaches his full potential in the Midlands.

If he can use his goal against Arsenal as the starting point for a decent run over the next few months, then it could push Villa towards the top four in the table.

This could increase his valuation even more. That is a certainty.