Aston Villa have enjoyed a fantastic season and will look forward to taking part in the Champions League next term.

Unai Emery has assembled an outstanding squad at Villa and led them into the Premier League’s top four, with Tottenham unable to catch them up.

However, one of the main pieces of business that has helped the Villans reach the Champions League took place before Emery arrived at B6.

Back in 2020, the Villans signed Ollie Watkins from Brentford for a then club-record £28million, reuniting him with Dean Smith.

And though Smith left the Villa hotseat in 2021, Watkins has gone from strength to strength in claret and blue, culminating in a superb 2023/24 campaign.

The 28-year-old has registered 19 goals and 13 assists in the league this term, while his overall season tally reads 27 goals and three assists.

As good as Watkins has been, there is some concern regarding Villa’s strength in depth if the England international had to sit any games out.

BBC Sport pundit and former Villa captain Nigel Reo-Coker says the Villans could have “serious problems” as it stands if Watkins were to get injured.

What has Nigel Reo-Coker said about Aston Villa and Ollie Watkins?

“My biggest worry for me is Ollie Watkins,” he said on BBC Radio 5 Live on Friday.

“I always felt that if they were going to finish in the top four, Ollie Watkins will be the one you don’t want to get injured. Because if he gets injured, you are going to have some serious problems.

“Like Jhon Duran has come in, the young Colombian, he has done well, but for him to be playing week in week out consistently, I don’t think he is quite ready.

“So, I feel one of the things you do have to get in is another striker because if Ollie Watkins is playing Champions League, then you have got someone as good who can get you goals, who you can rely on for Premier League games, but he was the biggest worry for me.”

Aston Villa should be on the case in the summer transfer window

Almost everything that Villa’s hierarchy and Emery have done since the Spaniard arrived at B6 has turned to gold.

Having now secured a Champions League spot, there’s no doubt that the club will be aware that they’ll need to improve their strength in depth.

After all, they’ll have seen how Newcastle have fared this season after reaching the Champions League. Their squad was stretched to the limit and it had an impact on their league form.

Villa will almost certainly be on the case in the summer transfer window.