Emery refuses to explain Watkins absence as 10-man Villa collapse 4-0 at Brighton

Aston Villa were humiliated 4-0 at the Amex Stadium on Sunday, with Unai Emery refusing to explain why striker Ollie Watkins was absent from his squad as reports intensify that the England international is seeking a transfer to Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.

Villa lined up without a recognised striker in Brighton, and Emery was pointed in his response when pressed on Watkins’ omission. “This question is for him. I can’t answer. I can answer only with my silence,” the Villa manager said. Asked directly whether Watkins had refused to play, Emery added: “I think you can call him, you can call his agent, and he can respond. It’s not my responsibility.”

Villa have reportedly rejected four bids from Al Hilal for Watkins, with a transfer agreement said to be nowhere near completion. The 30-year-old has scored 108 goals in 278 appearances for the club since joining from Brentford in 2020, including nine in 11 games against Sunday’s opponents.

Without him, Villa were 4-0 down inside 31 minutes. Victor Lindelof’s own goal opened the scoring, before Maxim De Cuyper added a second and Jack Hinshelwood struck twice in quick succession to put the result beyond doubt. Emery’s attacking options on the day were Emiliano Buendia, Ross Barkley and full debutant George Hemmings.

The afternoon worsened when summer signing Joao Gomes — a transfer from Wolves — was sent off on his Premier League debut five minutes before half-time for kicking out at Georginio Rutter.

The result reflects a turbulent summer for the Europa League champions. Ezri Konsa, Youri Tielemans and Morgan Rogers have all been sold since Villa secured a fourth-placed finish and Champions League qualification, while goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez is also the subject of ongoing transfer speculation.

Emery acknowledged the scale of the setback but pointed to a pattern from previous seasons. “We made some mistakes, they scored the goals and in 25 minutes we lost everything,” he said. “We lost a very important three points, but it’s something the last three years — at the beginning until the transfer window finishes — we had as well some problems, like we are having now.”

Brighton head coach Fabian Hurzeler credited his side’s response after a difficult opening. “The first five, six, seven minutes we struggled controlling the game, Villa started strong,” he said. “But then afterwards we got the control back by good intensity against the ball, by winning some personal duels, by forcing them to do mistakes — and like this the first goal happens. The red card was another game changer, and then we played a mature second half.”