Speaking exclusively to This Is Futbol, former Leeds United striker Brian Deane believes his old side have got on just fine in the Premier League without Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
This comes after the 25-year-old recently revealed on the Sky Sports Super 6 podcast that Leeds were interested in signing him before he completed his £28m move to Villa from Brentford last summer.
Instead, Leeds ended up with Rodrigo. And while the Spaniard has certainly had his troubles this season – that includes injury – Deane does not think it is the end of the world for the Whites.
Was not signing Watkins a mistake?
Yes, he's class!
No, we're doing just fine
Discussing the two forwards in an exclusive interview with TIF, the ex-Leeds player said:
“He’s [Watkins] scored a lot of goals, certainly would be the kind of player who I would think is good because he’s very mobile, he understands English football. And, you know, Rodrigo’s been stop, start, stop, start.
“I think sometimes the settling in period can be problematic for players when they come from abroad because the Premier League is a lot quicker than La Liga or Serie A. But, look, they seem to have got the balance right at Leeds United this season.”
While it is true that Watkins has been among the goals this season, Leeds have hardly lacked firepower when you look at goals for in the Premier League.
Most importantly, though, they have had a good campaign in general, so there is no need for outcry after this revelation from a Leeds perspective.