On the latest episode of The Extra Inch (Tottenham Hotspur Podcast), Chris Miller (WindyCOYS) and Nathan Clark have been discussing the latest goings-on at the North London club, including a discussion of Brentford striker Ollie Watkins.
The duo discuss Spurs’ need for a back-up striker to Harry Kane, which is perhaps unsurprising considering the lack of options Jose Mourinho had available to him after the England captain’s hamstring injury back in January. After a brief discussion of Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard, Clark suggests that the North London club should move for Watkins this summer.
He said: (20:46) “The other player that I really like that I think is worth considering is Ollie Watkins of Brentford. Not in terms of like Edouard, coming in and just being a hit the ground running top-six player, but someone who I see as having a huge potential for growing into that role.”
“Watkins is an interesting one because he wasn’t a striker until the start of last season when he got pushed up and he has just done fantastically.
“The other interesting thing about him, and I don’t know if this is a factor or not, but his agent works for an agency that is quite a small agency.
“They don’t have that many players on their books. One of them is Che Cooper who’s a young Spurs player. But I always wonder whether, in those kinds of situations, can you sometimes get value because potentially it means they need to cash in on their biggest assets.
“A big move would allow them to say, look what we’ve done for this players progression, to have a player that they can say they’ve moved on to a big club, so that could factor in as well.
“Of course, Championship players who are English often command excessive fees in respect to their ability, so I think Watkins would cost a fair old sum of money but I really like him. I think he’s a really talented young player and someone we should be looking at.”
TIF Thoughts…
Watkins has enjoyed a superb season in the Championship thus far, contributing 22 goals in 37 appearances in the second division, averaging an impressive 7.29 rating for his performances (per Whoscored). These goals have helped Thomas Frank’s side to fourth in the Championship table, with the Bees no doubt hoping to secure promotion to the top flight, with the season set to resume this weekend.
Should Spurs make a move for Watkins this summer?
Yes
No
The 24-year-old is currently valued at £10.8 million by Transfermarkt and after his impressive season in the Championship, you would imagine that there would be plenty of interest in the former Exeter City man from Premier League sides, especially if the West London side is unable to secure promotion to the top flight this season. Perhaps he could prove to be a good option for Spurs in the summer transfer window, as Clark suggests, so it will be interesting to see if Spurs are linked with the striker at any point ahead of next season.