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FBL-ENG-PR-BRIGHTON-ASTON VILLAAFP
GOAL
Translated by

Al Hilal's new signing sparks tears from the Aston Villa manager!

Match
Al Khaleej vs Al Hilal
Al Khaleej
Al Hilal
Saudi Pro League
Aston Villa vs Arsenal
Aston Villa
Arsenal
Premier League
O. Watkins
Saudi Arabia
England

What happened?

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Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has lifted the lid on Ollie Watkins's final hours at the club before his switch to Al-Hilal. The Spaniard confirmed he sent his former striker off with a big hug and a small tear, despite his frustration at the England forward's conduct in the build-up to the Brighton match.

Watkins is closing in on a move to Al-Hilal worth around £50 million. The striker made clear he wanted to leave Villa and take on a new challenge in the Roshn League, tempted by the substantial financial offer put in front of him by the Saudi club.

Villa's other strikers, Tammy Abraham and Bryan Mbeumo, were both injured. Yet Watkins still ruled himself out of the opening-day clash against Brighton, a decision that caused frustration inside the club. He later returned to apologise to Emery and his teammates, admitting he had got it wrong.

Read also.. Exclusive for Kooora.. the truth about Benzema's return to Al-Ittihad

Speaking at his press conference before the trip to Arsenal, Emery said: "Watkins's commitment and behaviour were always excellent. Last week we could not reach an agreement that would allow him to play against Brighton, but he told us after the match that he was sorry, and admitted that he had made a mistake and that he was in the wrong."

"We accepted his apology, and so did the players, because he has always had good conduct with the club and with me," the Spanish coach added. "He is a wonderful person, perhaps even better as a person than he is as a player. I bade him farewell with a big hug and a small tear."

One misstep, Emery insisted, could not wipe out the years and the good times Watkins gave the club, even if the striker's stance before the Brighton game left him let down.

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"I was feeling some disappointment, and we spoke about it," he said. "But to be clear, he is a wonderful person, and one mistake does not erase all the good things he provided here. Ollie is a top-class player."

Those words say everything about Watkins's standing at Villa Park. Across his years with the club he became one of their most prized attacking assets, before choosing to chase a fresh challenge through the Al-Hilal door.

Emery signed off: "It is a new chapter now with Nicolas Jackson. All the best to Watkins in Saudi Arabia. And of course, we are happy." A new phase begins for Villa with their new striker. Watkins, meanwhile, prepares to open a very different page in an Al-Hilal shirt.

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