Published by Osasere Edomwonyi Ikpoba
Ollie Watkins has sent shockwaves through the football world by declaring that the Saudi Pro League is on a par with the English Premier League, just days after completing a £51 million move from Aston Villa to Al-Hilal. The England international marked his debut with a goal in a 3-0 victory over rivals Al-Ahli on Tuesday—and immediately raised eyebrows with his assessment of the standard of football in the Middle East.
"I knew straight away to join Al Hilal when the offer came," Watkins said. "The level I saw here today was honestly of Premier League quality. The match was very strong physically and demanding, and the quality was extremely high". The 30-year-old striker, who came off the bench in the second half and scored with a back-post header in the closing stages, wasted no time in aligning himself with the Saudi project.
Watkins' departure from Villa Park was anything but smooth. The forward refused to play for Aston Villa in a bid to force through the move, ending a six-year stay in which he scored 108 goals in 278 appearances and became the club's record Premier League goalscorer with 91 strikes. He helped Villa lift the Europa League last season, but the lure of Saudi Arabia proved irresistible. In a social media post after his exit, Watkins wrote: "Never did I intend, nor did I imagine, my time at Aston Villa would end this way. With that being said, I am eternally grateful for the last six years".
He joins a star-studded Al-Hilal squad managed by former Inter Milan boss Simone Inzaghi. The Riyadh club already boasts the likes of Crysencio Summerville, who arrived from West Ham in a £60 million deal this summer, alongside Ruben Neves, Kalidou Koulibaly, Theo Hernandez and Yassine Bounou. Al-Hilal are also reportedly set to complete a £60 million swoop for Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli.
Watkins admitted he is still working his way back to full sharpness after only a few days of training with his new teammates. "I'm a bit rusty at the moment," he conceded. "But I kept going, kept going, and I'm going to get a lot of chances. Ruben Neves and Serge Milinković-Savić are very intelligent players and all I need to do is make the run".
His England teammate Ivan Toney, who joined Al-Ahli from Brentford in the summer of 2024 for £40 million, has previously made a similar claim about the Saudi league's quality. "For me, the Saudi Pro League is on a par with the Premier League," Toney said. "If Al-Ahli were in the Premier League, we'd give it a good go and we'd be close to the top four. It is a quality league and people should not turn their noses up".
Watkins' comments are likely to spark fierce debate among fans and pundits alike. The Premier League is widely regarded as the most competitive and physically demanding league in the world, and many will view the striker's assessment as hyperbolic—or perhaps even self-serving, given his new employer's ambitions. But the England international insists his decision was driven by more than just money. "I watched the Club World Cup and I saw how well they performed. I always see who's at the top of the league and they're always up there," he said. "I want to win trophies and I think this team is going to give me the best possible chance of doing that".
The victory was Al-Hilal's fourth in as many Saudi Pro League matches this season, keeping Inzaghi's side at the top of the table. Meanwhile, his former club Aston Villa remain winless in the Premier League this season after a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal—a result that may have given Watkins a wry smile as he settles into his new life in Riyadh. Whether his bold claim about the Saudi league's quality holds up to scrutiny remains to be seen. But one thing is certain: Watkins has already made his mark—both on the scoresheet and in the headlines.
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