Arsenal have £46m Ollie Watkins transfer advantage after secret meeting and Viktor Gyokeres twist

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In a moment of sheer irony, former Arsenal goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez could have played a big part in the journey that might end up landing Mikel Arteta the striker he has been crying out for. There is quite a way to go from his red card against Manchester United on May 25 to Ollie Watkins leaving, but there are direct lines along the way.

Martinez, who has become a frustrating player for most Aston Villa opponents in the past five years, is set to depart this summer himself. However, his actions on the final day of the Premier League season may well have a knock-on elsewhere.

It was he who truly opened up the race for the top five at Old Trafford, getting sent off just before half-time. Confronted with the on-rushing Rasmus Hojlund, Martinez chose against letting the wildly out-of-form striker pass him when a long way from his goal.

Instead, Martinez took a clear line to Hojlund and bodied him to the ground with something approaching a rugby tackle. He was sent off for denying a clear goalscoring opportunity without a genuine attempt to play the ball. There could be few arguments, other than the calls that even an open goal is not a good chance for Hojlund at the moment.

Villa, in truth, were already struggling. They had been the form side heading into the last day with nine wins in the previous 11 games. That set them up to capitalise on any mistakes from Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manchester City, or Nottingham Forest in the battle for a Champions League spot.

As it happened, Villa's defeat would let Newcastle off the hook as they were defeated by Everton at home. That didn't matter because Villa had failed to better their result. Therefore, when a point would have been enough, Villa couldn't even get that and they fell to a 2-0 loss to United.

The impact is set to be seismic. Villa were already set to see Martinez go but now they have a blackhole in the accounts. Even after qualifying for the Champions League last season they were forced to use accounting tricks to stay the right side of profitability and sustainability rules (PSRs).

Villa and Chelsea, as well as Villa and Everton, were essentially swapping players for large fees in order to boost their numbers before the June 30 deadline. They had to consider and in some cases accept sales of players they would normally have wanted to.

That was with elite European football coming up. Without it from the year before, they were still left to comply for the 2023/24 financial period. Now, after investing heavily in January on Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, and Axel Disasi all joining on loan, they will be forced into a similar corner.

At a time whereby they want to expand and improve, they will have to sell to buy, it is thought. That opens them up to talks over Morgan Rogers' future. He is admired by clubs across England and Europe. The same is true for Jacob Ramsey. Then there is Ollie Watkins.

Villa were open about cashing in on the England striker in January. They sold Jhon Duran for over £65million to Saudi Arabia instead, but had instigated conversations with Arsenal over the newly 29-year-old.

Watkins, off the back of scoring 19 and assisting 15 in the Premier League, was available for the right price. Arsenal, after seeing Gabriel Jesus ruled out through injury and already scouring the market for extra striker reinforcement anyway, were an obvious target.

The Gunners have long-standing adoration for Watkins anyway, regardless of Villa's need to sell. Watkins is an Arsenal fan. Although that is often an overblown reason for a transfer, it is surely still a factor.

(Image: Warren Little/Getty Images)

So here is a perfect storm. Nothing would end up happening, but the process had started. Arsenal indicated that they would go to £40million for Watkins but no more. Villa still wanted upwards of £60million. Duran left and it was case closed before it opened.

Six months later and the landscape is different. Villa will be without £15million in Champions League qualification prize money for next season. The Europa League will bank them more than the Conference League did in 2023/24, sure, but it is nothing in comparison to the top tier.

Villa earned almost £46million from their run to the quarter-finals. That will keep them going but is no longer a source of income set to follow again. They will now need to find additional sources of money if they are to remain on the right side of the PSR threshold moving forward.

Selling Watkins, who is now into decision time over whether or not to seek a final big contract pay day, must come into their thinking. It is in this world that reports from Portugal claim Arsenal held meetings with his representatives last week over a possible transfer.

In suggestions that Arsenal have walked away from any possible deal with Viktor Gyokeres over a price, Watkins is a cheaper alternative. He is Premier League proven but also two-and-a-half years older.

Arsenal have been seen to be favouring Benjamin Sesko in the early stages of the summer window. His youth, resale value, and mouldability are all reasons why he would be viewed as better value for money.

Watkins, though, offers something neither Gyokeres or Sesko can. He has a Premier League record to speak of. He is English and ready to plug and play now. With three years left on his deal at Villa Park, there is no rush. However, the circumstances are aligning for Arsenal to take advantage of Watkin's situation at Villa. They can thank Martinez for that.

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