Why Leeds United Should Sign Ollie Watkins
Exeter City’s highly thought of young forward Ollie Watkins is now at the centre of a transfer battle between Championship rivals Bristol City and Leeds United. According to Somerset Live, Leeds and Bristol are battling for the signature of the young forward.
Generally speaking, should a player be asked to choose between the two clubs, then Leeds would usually be the choice. The Yorkshire giants very nearly made the playoffs this year and will look to rebuild over the summer, in order to have a shot at the Championship title next season.
With the ball potentially in Leeds’ court, they may be missing out if they do not take up the option to sign Watkins. Since breaking into the side just last season, Watkins has already made 72 appearances for Exeter and has seen his value rocket in a short space of time. It seems like the 21-year-old definitely has a bright future in the game.
Despite claims to the contrary by their fans, Leeds have had an over reliance this season on Chris Wood up front and so even if the big man stays at Elland Road, Leeds need other options going forward. Given his age, Kemar Roofe is bound to improve and adding one other solid attacking option would improve the side in an attacking sense.
Watkins has netted 14 goals and has provided 12 assists in this 49 games across all competitions this season. He provides one or the other every 155 minutes on average which is a stat which he will need to be improved upon. One would imagine that Leeds would use the young man a little more sparingly and have less of a reliance on him, which would surely improve his output.
Watkins’ versatility is also something Leeds would find useful. With loanees Hadi Sacko, Mo Barrow and Alfonso Pedraza all due to leave the club now that the season is over, they need cover in the wider areas. Watkins’ pace and trickery are something Leeds fans will definitely take to, though his ability to play up front could be crucial as well. When teams were able to keep a lid on big centre-forward Chris Wood this year, Leeds did not win. Having a completely different option to play up there either from the start or as an impact player would be a great option for Garry Monk to have.