BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom — Unai Emery insisted Aston Villa will not sell Ollie Watkins after Arsenal reportedly made a £60 million ($74 million) bid just hours before the England striker helped his team reach the Champions League last 16 on Wednesday.
Emery’s side survived a scare against Celtic to win 4-2 at a raucous Villa Park and seal automatic qualification via an eighth place finish in the league phase.
They had led through Morgan Rogers’ double in the first five minutes, but Adam Idah netted twice in the space of 145 seconds to haul Celtic level just before half-time.
Watkins ignored the speculation over his future as he rescued Villa with a clinical second-half strike to restore their advantage.
The 29-year-old missed a penalty after his goal, but Rogers completed the first treble of his career in stoppage time to ensure Villa progressed without the need for a play-off.
Arsenal’s mooted approach for Watkins was ill-timed from Villa’s point of view, given the significance of their clash with the Scottish champions.
Reports after the game suggested Villa had snubbed Arsenal’s offer and Emery offered no incentive for the Gunners to increase their attempt to buy a player who has scored 11 times in 32 games this season.
“Watkins is our striker. I know you want to ask about it, but I told you, today is not the day,” a visibly frustrated Emery said.
Arsenal are looking for a striker after Gabriel Jesus suffered a season-ending knee injury.
If Watkins, who joined Villa from Brentford in 2020, is still at the club when the transfer window closes on Monday, there appears to be a strong chance that Jhon Duran will leave for Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.
The Colombia striker has mostly been used as a substitute by Emery despite some impressive performances this term.
‘A huge challenge’
Asked about Duran’s future, Emery wouldn’t rule out selling him in a reported £64 million deal.
“I don’t know if Jhon Duran is leaving but if he is, it is good news for us because he is leaving because it is good money,” the Spaniard said.
“Tomorrow or Friday we can talk about the transfer. Until everything is done I don’t want to speak, because in football everything can happen.
“The club is working and trying to compete in the transfer window because we need some players. Some can leave, but it is not time to speak about it.”
Celtic were already certain to reach the play-off round after last week’s win over Young Boys.
But Celtic’s hopes of avoiding one of the tournament’s giants were dashed as they learned holders Real Madrid or Bayern Munich will be their next opponents.
Brendan Rodgers’ team have to wait until Friday’s draw to discover which of the two European heavyweights blocks their path to a last 16 berth.
The Celtic boss conceded it will be a massive task to beat either club, but he believes they are capable of causing a seismic upset.
“We know it’s either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the next round, so that’ll be a huge challenge,” Rodgers said.
“It’s what the players deserve for what they’ve given over the course of the eight games.
“We’re building confidence and showing we’re a team that can play and make it difficult for the top teams.”
Celtic have qualified for the knock-out stages for the first time in 12 years despite a humiliating 7-1 loss at Borussia Dortmund in October.
“Scotland gets a wee bit of stick in its football. You can clearly see we have teams who have courage to play,” Rodgers said.
“The word that strikes me at the moment is pride. We’re nowhere near the resource levels of teams in the Premier League, but we can still be competitive.”
