Aston Villa

Pria Rai
BBC Newsbeat presenter

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Before he played for England, before he played for Villa, even before he played for Brentford - Ollie Watkins had star quality.

That is according to his former team-mate Pierce Sweeney who is captain at Exeter City, the club Watkins joined when he was nine years old.

"I had no doubt he would be a top player," Sweeney told BBC Newsbeat. "But I didn't expect him to be where he is today – scoring the winner at the semi-finals of the European Championship.

"It is a really good example of having setbacks," he said adding that at 28 years old, Watkins proves "it really doesn't matter how old you are".

He remembers Watkins as shy and humble.

"There is no big ego there," Sweeney said. "He is obviously a brilliant footballer, but he is an even better person. Everybody is really proud of him here."

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We asked you to tell us how proud you are of Ollie Watkins' performances at Euro 2024, after he became only the second Aston Villa player to score for England at a major tournament.

Here are some of your thoughts:

Steve: It is nothing more than Ollie Watkins deserves. What a credit he is to the professional game. He has worked so hard to come through from the lower leagues and reach the level that he is at. He has no ego, he is willing to learn, he is always looking to improve, and never does he gripe or whinge. He thoroughly deserves his moment. Well done, Ollie Watkins. A true pro.

JAR: There were those outside of Villa Park who said that Ollie Watkins wasn't good enough for England. Well, Ollie has dealt with those opinions now! Go and get us the winner in the final Ollie! So proud of you.

Marc: This is what we have been seeing Watkins do all season for Villa. From the moment he made that run, I knew it was going to be a goal! Now the country is waking up to what we have known for years. I couldn't be prouder to have him as a Villan!

Al: I knew as soon as Watkins came on that he would do some damage. When he scored, I ran around my living room screaming before welling up. He is such a nice and humble bloke. I couldn't be prouder to be a Watkins, Villa and England fan.

Kom: I saw something in Watkins immediately as he came on. I told my friend that Watkins has fire in his belly. But that fire was more like a steam engine! I wasn't surprised at all - he is a young boy, full of energy and skill. He put England on the map.

Navid: Ollie Watkins is such a professional and he is so well put together. He works hard, keeps his head down, and shows no noise or arrogance. He deserved the chance to show why us Villa fans rate and respect him so much. Well done, Ollie - this is no less than you deserve!

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England and Crystal Palace defender Marc Guehi says he "can't heap any more praise" on Ollie Watkins after scoring the decisive goal to send England through to the Euro 20204 final.

"Unreal. Unbelievable. I can't heap any more praise on him, especially for someone who hasn’t played as much as he’d like," said Guehi.

"But, I think it’s the togetherness of the team and the spirit of the team, that whenever anyone has come onto the pitch or whenever anyone has been called upon they’ve given their all. That’s all you can ask for."

Former England striker, Alan Shearer added: "When you come on as a substitute, you’re either put on to try and save the game or to impact the game in a different way.

"Watkins was brought on to upset the defenders, to run in behind the defenders, to make a nuisance of himself and when he got a chance, he put it away.

"It doesn’t get any better than that, does it?"

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Ollie Watkins’ England winner at 89:59 is the latest winning goal scored in a semi-final at the European Championships or the World Cup (excluding extra time).

By doing so he becomes only the second Aston Villa player to score for England at a major tournament, after David Platt, who scored three times at the 1990 World Cup.

How proud are you of Watkins? Tell us here, external

Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins has - quite rightly - stolen the headlines on Thursday's back pages.

With the clock about to hit 90:00 in England's Euro 2024 semi-final against the Netherlands, with the score at 1-1 in Dortmund, he hammered a shot into the bottom corner for one of the most important England goals ever scored.

It was just one of a handful of touches he made after replacing Harry Kane with nine minutes to go.

How proud are you of Watkins? Let us know here, external

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Watkins had only played 20 minutes at a major tournament before this, in the group stage against Denmark, having been left out of the Euro 2020 and 2022 World Cup squads.

The Aston Villa man has now etched his name into the England history books.

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Ollie Watkins came on for just his second appearance of Euro 2024 and in sending England through to the final and the Dutch out, what an impact the Aston Villa striker made.

Watkins, who had to work his way up the English football pyramid before earning his chance with England, told the BBC: "It was unbelievable. So many emotions came to me, but as soon as I saw it go in the bottom corner, it was the best feeling ever!

"I've worked so hard to get this point and I've been ready. I've been waiting, sitting on the bench.

"Scoring for England is amazing but I didn't think I'd do it in a tournament like that.

"When I was on the bench I said to [sub keeper] Dean Henderson, 'I can make a difference today and need to get on'.

"I took my chance, scored it and now we are in the final. One last game."

Ollie Watkins felt a nation rejoice all around him on Wednesday when he lashed a shot across goal with precision.

A strike carrying the hopes of millions has catapulted the Aston Villa front man into national folklore.

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Nick Mashiter
BBC Sport Football News Reporter

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Philippe Coutinho was a vanity project for Aston Villa.

Seen as a coup at the time of his January 2022 loan, Barcelona's £142m record signing never delivered.

Steven Gerrard, his former Liverpool team-mate and then Villa boss, hailed him as a "brilliant signing for the club" while Christian Purslow, chief executive at the time, announced Coutinho's permanent move with fanfare at the club's end-of-season dinner in 2022 and the pair embraced on stage.

A dramatic entrance, an assist and a goal on his debut in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United in January 2022, was supposed to herald the perfect relationship. Coutinho was expected to recapture the form that made him one of the Premier League's best at Liverpool - and Villa would rise up the table.

However, they got a shadow of the player who lit up Anfield and it was he who was hauled off after 65 minutes against League Two Stevenage when Villa were dumped out of the FA Cup in 2023.

Ultimately, the Brazil international was a bump in the road on what has become a successful journey to the Champions League for Villa.

They have achieve their goals and progressed without him, which says much for the planning of Monchi, Villa's president of football operations and the drive and organisation of boss Unai Emery, along with their structured recruitment.

His arrival was a statement and helped raise the club's profile and, regardless of the outcome, his signing on reputation represented where Villa wanted to be, rather than where they were at the time.

Philippe Coutinho has made 43 appearances for Aston Villa since signing from Barcelona in 2022.

He scored all six goals in his first two seasons for the club and went on loan in 2023-24 to Al-Duhail in Qatar.

Coutinho, who has two years left on his contract, will now spend this season at Brazilian Serie A side Vasco da Gama.

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Former England midfielder Izzy Christiansen has been speaking to BBC Radio 5 Live about England's central defensive options:

"I thought it was quite difficult to figure out what England's formation actually was [against Switzerland]. I'm meant to be an expert.

"In our 5 Live build-up, we spoke a lot about a back three. It actually looked more like a back four, but Kieran Trippier - who we all know is one of Gareth Southgate's most-trusted players - was playing a really high full-back role.

"I do think it will be the same formation. I think we won't see any changes apart from Marc Guehi maybe coming back in because of how brilliant he was through the start of the tournament and the group stages.

"It will be a difficult decision for him to make. I'm big on rhythm and I would play [Ezri] Konsa based on rhythm and the feeling of playing in that last game against Switzerland, but I think Guehi will come in and that will be the only change.

"I'd love to see Luke Shaw out there, but I think the impact he can have off the bench is like an insurance policy for Gareth Southgate."

Ex-England defender Matthew Upson added: "I thought Ezri Konsa was excellent. We've had a brilliant show of centre-back play from two centre-halves in Marc Guehi and Konsa.

"They are relatively new into this scene and they have been a major plus point of this tournament in a position that probably everyone looked at and thought the options were not too great.

"It is a very strong position now and Guehi did enough in those early games. He played well enough under a lot of pressure - because the team was under a lot of pressure in the first couple of matches with how things were going.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see him back [against the Netherlands on Wednesday]."

West Ham United are interested in Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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Former England midfielder Danny Murphy believes Ezri Konsa has given Gareth Southgate a selection "headache" with his performance in his first start of Euro 2024 against Switzerland.

Analysing the 26-year-old's display after coming in for the suspended Marc Guehi, BBC pundit Murphy said: "Konsa's performance was incredible - he just took his chance. Every part of his game was impressive.

"There was no panic. He was replacing someone who had been playing so well so the pressure was even more on him.

"He has given Southgate a huge headache now. Guehi will probably come back in but nobody would be surprised if Konsa stayed in."

Tottenham are exploring a player-plus-cash deal for Aston Villa's Jacob Ramsey, with Argentina midfielder Giovani lo Celso, 28, heading the other way. (Sky Sports), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Tuesday's full gossip column

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Former Aston Villa loanee Nicolo Zaniolo is heading off for the season once again from parent club Galatasary, this time on loan to Italian club Atalanta.

The midfielder 39 times for Villa last season, scoring three times but only starting nine Premier League games.

After coming through the ranks at Serie A side Inter, he will return to his homeland for the 2024-25 campaign.

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Emi Martinez once again performed penalty shootout heroics to help defending champions Argentina seal their place in the Copa America semi-finals.

The Villa keeper saved the first two spot-kicks as Argentina overcame Ecuador 4-2 on penalties after the game finished 1-1 after normal time on Thursday.

This was not the first time Emi Martinez has been the defining figure in a shootout, famously for his country in the World Cup final against France in 2022 and more recently for Villa in the Europa Conference League against Lille.

"I told the boys I wasn’t ready to go home - they weren’t either," Martinez said. "We are champions of the world and this team deserved to go on."

Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni also credited Martinez for his contribution to the win, saying: "Our goalkeeper came up clutch."

Read the match report here

Benfica are increasingly confident they can re-sign Portugal forward Joao Felix, 24, from Atletico Madrid but could face competition from Aston Villa. (Football Transfers), external

Meanwhile, Villa right-back Matty Cash looks increasingly unlikely to join AC Milan, despite reports linking the 26-year-old Poland defender with a move to the Serie A side. (Birmingham Live), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Friday's full gossip column

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Aston Villa defender Ezri Konsa says he is “comfortable and confident” if Gareth Southgate chooses him to replace Marc Guehi, who is suspended for the quarter-final game against Switzerland on Saturday.

Konsa could be first in line to replace Guehi, who has received a one-match suspension following two yellow cards at the Euros.

"[We have] defended really well. If the boss puts me on I will always be ready," said Konsa, who came on as a substitute in extra-time of England's last-16 win over Slovakia.

"I always dreamed of playing for England as a kid. It was a proud moment for me and my family.

"Wherever Southgate puts me, I am ready. Last season, I played at right-back which took some getting used to but I can play there and as a centre-half."

The 26-year-old has the best tackle rate of 56 percent in the top five leagues in Europe and has been using the England camp as an opportunity to test himself against some of the quickest players in the Premier League

"I love a one-on-one battle," he added. "I always back myself because I am comfortable and confident.

"Me and Bukayo Saka do them and sometimes I get the better of him and sometimes he gets the better of me."

Finally, Konsa praised the influence of former England captain John Terry who coached him at Villa.

"He was great for my career at the time," said Konsa. "He helped me mentally and gave me advice on how to maintain a high level.

"It's something I’ll always be grateful for."

Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher would be "reluctant" to relocate to the Midlands to join Aston Villa as the 24-year-old Englishman waits on a potential new Blues deal. (Telegraph - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Thursday's full gossip column

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Aston Villa defender Kaine Kesler-Hayden has signed a contract extension at Villa Park.

The 21-year-old academy graduate captained Villa's FA Youth Cup-winning side in 2021.

He spent the first part of last season on loan at Plymouth Argyle, and has also had temporary spells at Swindon Town, MK Dons and Huddersfield Town.

Aston Villa midfielder Philippe Coutinho is set to leave Villa this week, with the 32-year-old Brazilian keen on sealing a move back to his boyhood club Vasco da Gama. (Birmingham Live, external)

Want more transfer news? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

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England have only conceded two goals in four games so far at Euro 2024, but even in defence manager Gareth Southgate has fresh food for thought going into Saturday's quarter-final against Switzerland.

Newcastle United defender Kieran Trippier took a knock to his leg in the second half against Slovakia and had to be withdrawn, leaving Arsenal's Bukayo Saka to fill in at left-back.

The Three Lions will definitely be without Crystal Palace centre-back Marc Guehi, who will serve a one-match suspension after picking up a second yellow card of the tournament.

England's defensive display against Slovakia was "all over the place", according to former Three Lions midfielder Danny Murphy, who fears if they "play better opposition" they will be "in a world of trouble".

Ex-Three Lions captain Alan Shearer said it will be "fascinating how England cope with three up front for the Swiss" and called for Ezri Konsa of Aston Villa to come in for the banned Guehi, with Manchester United's Luke Shaw at left-back.

Former England full-back Micah Richards wants to see Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold at right-back, with Kyle Walker of Manchester City switched to the left.

Gary Lineker is more broadly concerned with the manner in which England's backline operated against Slovakia, and its impact on the rest of the side.

"The defence were very deep. We have a player in John Stones who likes to come forward but he was deep," added the former England skipper.

"Then [England have] two midfielders, often as deep as the back four. Then a huge gap to Bellingham and Kane. They were so spread out it was impossible to play passing football.

"They weren’t cohesive. They were disjointed and unbalanced. It was as though they had just met each other."

Read more on what is next for England and pick your starting XI