WAT WAS THAT
‘Arsenal have just withdrawn their bid’ – TNT Sports tease Ollie Watkins as he gives away free-kick while taking penalty
Watkins' striker partner at Villa looks set to leave the club
ARSENAL fans have joked they never wanted Ollie Watkins anyway - after the England star spectacularly missed a penalty.
The Aston Villa striker, 29, was the subject of an audacious £60million bid from the Gunners on Wednesday.
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Watkins started Villa's Champions League showdown with Celtic just hours after the approach was rebuffed.
And he got on the scoresheet in a thrilling 4-2 win at a deafening Villa Park.
But Watkins was left wanting the ground to swallow him up after missing a penalty just after the hour-mark.
Villa led 3-2 and hoped to restore their two-goal advantage on the night.
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Watkins sauntered up the spot, but took an almighty tumble as he went to make contact.
The ball went flying high into the Holte End, to incredulous groans from the terraces.
To make matters even worse, Celtic were given a freekick as Watkins was adjudged to have kicked the ball twice.
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On the TNT coverage, commentator Adam Summerton gasped: "Oh my goodness me. Would you believe that?"
Co-pundit Matt Smith joked: "Arsenal have just withdrawn their bid."
Loved-up England hero Ollie Watkins walks hand-in-hand with fiancee Ellie Alderson in Milan after romantic engagement
Fans flocked to X to react to the miss, with one writing: "I just spat out my drink laughing."
Another said: "Ok let's change the offer to 45m."
A third said: "Move over John Terry!"
While a fourth joked: "Definitely made for Arsenal. Sign him up!"
Ultimately, Watkins' miss was not to prove costly as Villa booked their place in the Champions League last 16.
The former Brentford striker would turn provider for the fourth goal, assisting Morgan Rogers to wrap up the contest.
New Champions League format is a snorefest
By Dan King
UEFA sold the idea of expanding the Champions League from 32 to 36 teams, with each playing eight games instead of six in the opening phase, as a way of creating more competitiveness and excitement.
The biggest clubs would have two matches against their peers, rather than having to wait until the knockout stage to meet.
The smaller clubs would meet teams of a similar level twice and have a chance of tasting victory that was so hard to achieve if you were the bottom seed in a group of four.
Ignoring for a moment the fact that the real motivation was the simple equation of more games = more money, the theory itself already looks flawed.
None of the matches between European giants has delivered a compelling contest yet.
And why would they? At the start of the long season with more matches in it, why would any team with ambitions to win things in the spring, go out all guns blazing in the autumn?
Especially when they know they have six games NOT against big sides to make sure they accrue enough points to qualify at least for the play-off round (and even more games).
There is even less jeopardy than before.
Read the full column on the Champions League format fail and why everyone - including YOU - needs a rethink.
Unai Emery's side will now take on either Atalanta, Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon or Club Brugge in the knockouts.
Watkins looks set to stay at Villa despite interest from the Gunners.
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Arsenal's bid was rejected by the club on Wednesday while strike partner Jhon Duran is set for a move to Saudi Arabia.
The Colombian will undertake a medical on Thursday ahead of a £65m transfer to join Cristiano Ronaldo at Al Nassr.
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