Arsenal Criticized for ‘Crazy’ Transfer Decision in January

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Ex-Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant has expressed disappointment in his former club’s inability to provide the required finances to acquire Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa.

Former Arsenal winger Jermaine Pennant has criticized his old club for failing to sign Ollie Watkins from Aston Villa during the January transfer window. Arsenal made an attempt to bring the England international to the Emirates but were reportedly priced out of a move by Villa, who demanded at least £60 million for the striker.

Pennant expressed his surprise at Arsenal’s decision, especially given the club’s need for a clinical striker following Gabriel Jesus’ season-ending knee injury. “I was a little surprised by that,” Pennant told TribalFootball. “We’ve seen certain games where they are missing that little bit of sharpness, that little bit of cutting edge in front of goal at times.”

The former Liverpool star pointed out that Arsenal’s overreliance on Kai Havertz as a false No.9 has been a hindrance and believes that signing Watkins could have made a significant difference in their title challenge. “With a striker, there’d be a little bit more pressure on Liverpool,” Pennant added.

Despite Watkins’ reported interest in joining Arsenal, Villa stood firm on their valuation, and the deal fell through. Pennant compared Watkins to Harry Kane, noting that the 29-year-old striker is still in great shape and could provide several more years of top-level performance.