At least three times in the last two transfer windows, Ollie Watkins probably imagined himself somewhere else.

In January, the England forward anticipated a move to Arsenal, his childhood favorite club, but instead, Villa transferred Jhon Duran to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League.

Throughout the summer, Watkins was back on Arsenal’s radar, albeit third in line behind Benjamin Sesko and Victor Gyokeres, with Gyokeres ultimately being signed. Manchester United also expressed interest in him before settling on Sesko.

Sooner or later, they need their all-time leading Premier League goalscorer to come to the party.

Beto puts Watkins to shame

Everton’s forward Beto likely didn’t rush to replay his performance here. He squandered an easy chance early on and consistently mismanaged opportunities with poor touches and rushed finishing.

Aston Villa were lifeless in attack again as they endured a drab 0-0 draw against Everton

Beto was a handful for Tyrone Mings (right) and Ezri Konsa, despite failing to score in the game

Unai Emery will be mightily concerned after watching his side fail to score across four matches

Nonetheless, Beto persistently troubled Villa’s center-backs, Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa, providing no respite. Winning all five of his aerial duels allowed Everton’s wide players, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Grealish, to shine. Although Beto’s performance was imperfect, his presence was certainly impactful.

Where was Watkins’s similar level of involvement? While his skill set differs from Beto’s, his best form is equally troublesome for defenders. However, Watkins only touched the ball 16 times over 83 minutes, winning two of nine duels, taking no shots, and losing possession the lone time he attempted to run at a defender.

Where is the back-up?

Watkins’ sluggish start to last season might be forgiven considering he had mostly rested during the summer after representing England at Euro 2024, where he netted a memorable goal against the Netherlands in the semi-final.

Luckily for Villa, Duran was able to pick up the slack when Watkins was still finding his rhythm. The Colombian had scored three times by this stage of the 2024-25 campaign and that allowed Watkins to ease his way into the campaign. 

When Duran left, Marcus Rashford joined on loan and scored four times in 17 matches – hardly prolific, but he gave defenders the jitters every time he played. How Villa could do with him now because they do not have alternatives to Watkins anymore. 

He had a full pre-season and looked sharp but that edge has deserted him over the opening four matches. Watkins has taken only eight shots this season, with two on target. That is not all his fault. Three times he made good runs today but Morgan Rogers could not find the pass. 

At his best, though, Watkins creates chances for himself and sets the tempo for his team, as anyone who saw his brilliant display in the 4-1 win over Newcastle last spring would attest. Right now, though, he is a ghostly presence.

Emery remains reluctant to turn to Donyell Malen, which begs the question: why did Villa pay £19million for him last winter? Daily Mail Sport understands Villa were even prepared to trade the Dutchman this summer if it had enabled them to land certain targets. Malen looks lively when he comes on and may start at Brentford in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday.

Villa’s star forward Ollie Watkins is struggling in attack and looks to be lacking confidence

The Midlands club are really missing Marcus Rashford, who was on loan at the club last season

Watkins needs protection

Asked about Watkins’ performance, Emery’s choice of words felt significant. ‘We have to protect him,’ he said, twice. ‘I am not worried – for him especially. We will score again, and he is going to score.’

Watkins is his own harshest critic. After that Newcastle game, he would have berated himself for not finding the net more than once. Even as a proven top-level goalscorer, Watkins seems to lack confidence in himself. Those who have worked with him have noticed he can go into his shell when he has to compete for his spot – as was the case with Duran and, at times, even Rashford, who Emery preferred as a No9 towards the end of last term.

The question now is whether Villa and Watkins can rekindle things. Last December, Watkins found himself on the bench as Emery went for Duran. Then he believed he was joining Arsenal in January, and was benched – again – for the Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain.

Watkins needs to find a way to put all these knocks behind him. The success of Villa’s season may depend on it.