A former Aston Villa scout has suggested the club failed to address their striking options adequately after selling Ollie Watkins to Al Hilal during the summer transfer window. According to Football Insider, the ex-scout believes Richarlison represented an obvious solution that Unai Emery and the board overlooked before the deadline passed on 1 September.
Watkins completed his move to Saudi Arabia earlier this summer, leaving Villa without the forward who had led their line for several seasons. With the window now closed until January 2027, any recruitment missteps made before the cut-off cannot be corrected for several months.
Football Insider claims the unnamed former scout raised serious questions about the strategy pursued by Emery and the club's hierarchy. The outlet reports that the decision to let Watkins leave without securing Richarlison as a successor has drawn criticism from within those familiar with the club's previous scouting operations.
No specific details regarding negotiations, fees or formal approaches for either player were provided in the report. The claims rest entirely on the opinion of the former staff member quoted by Football Insider, and Aston Villa have not commented publicly on their recruitment plans following the departure.
