Watkins Absence and Red Card Debut: Aston Villa Routed at Brighton as Transfer Storm Brews
Aston Villa lost 4-0 to Brighton at the Amex on 23 August 2026, but the scoreline was only half the story. Their star striker, Ollie Watkins, was not in the squad — and head coach Unai Emery refused to say why.
Asked why he had not picked Watkins, Emery told reporters: "This question is for him… I can answer only with my silence." Pressed on whether Watkins had refused to play, the manager did not deny it: "I think you can call him and you can call his agent and he can respond" (The Guardian).
The 30-year-old Watkins is understood to be open to a move to Al-Hilal, the Saudi Pro League club who have been pursuing him all summer. Aston Villa rejected four bids for the striker during the week, including a €45m offer, and turned down a fresh approach on 22 August (The Athletic; Sky Sports). Emery has said he does not want to sell. The transfer window closes in ten days.
With Watkins unavailable and both Brian Madjo and Tammy Abraham injured, Emery had no recognised striker to call on. He deployed attacking midfielder Emiliano Buendía as an emergency No 9 — a forward who drops deep rather than playing on the shoulder of defenders. Madjo is expected to be out for "two weeks more… more or less," while there is no clear timeline for Abraham's return.
Things went from bad to worse in the 40th minute. New signing João Gomes, making his debut, was sent off for kicking Brighton striker Georginio Rutter. Down to ten men, Villa were swept aside.
This is a club already stripped to the bone. Villa have sold Ezri Konsa, Morgan Rogers, Lucas Digne and Youri Tielemans this summer, with goalkeeper Emiliano Martínez expected to follow them out the door. Emery said the club are paying the "consequences" for what he called unprecedented success — a reference to Villa's rise under his management, which included a European campaign and Watkins reaching 100 goals for the club in April 2026 (Aston Villa official website).
The irony is brutal. Watkins has seven Premier League goals in nine appearances against Brighton, plus two assists — he scored twice in a 4-3 win over them last December (Aston Villa official website). A player who has tormented this opponent was nowhere near the pitch.
Asked if he felt let down by Watkins, Emery said: "He can only explain his answer, I can't." When the manager deflects every question to the player and his agent, it speaks louder than any statement. Watkins was happy to stay at Villa when Arsenal came knocking in January 2025. Eighteen months on, the silence from his side of the story is growing louder by the day.
