Watkins' wonderful start: How Al Hilal have finally found their lead No.9

When Al Hilal signed Ollie Watkins in August, the England international stepped into one of the most demanding positions in the Roshn Saudi League.

Namely, as Al Hilal’s go-to goals guy.  But, despite the reputation and resume carved with Aston Villa in the English Premier League, the question arose: could he deliver what his new employers need?

Because Al Hilal had been waiting.

Despite recruiting names such as Darwin Nunez and Karim Benzema, the 2023-24 RSL champions had struggled to fill the void left by Aleksandar Mitrovic since he departed in September last year.

The Serbian striker was a powerhouse during his time in the Saudi Arabian capital, but persistent injuries cut short his time at the Kingdom Arena. So, after a remarkable 47 goals in 51 league appearances, Mitrovic moved on.

In truth, Al Hilal haven’t really had a consistent goalscorer since. In fact, their top marksman in last season’s RSL was Marcos Leonardo with 13 goals - the lowest tally for an Al Hilal leading scorer since Moussa Marega in 2021-22.

Al Hilal are at their dominant best when they have a fearsome, ruthless striker leading the line. Think Sami Al Jaber, Nasser Al Shamrani, Bafetimbi Gomis or Mitrovic.

For all their stature and success in Europe, neither Nunez nor Benzema were able to consistently fill that role.

Enter, though, Watkins.

The England international had little time to acclimatise, arriving when the 2026-27 RSL was already underway, and he needed to learn on the go with Simone Inzaghi, a fierce and demanding manager. 

However, Watkins has enjoyed a wonderful start. In the heavyweight match-up with Al Ahli, he announced his arrival by scoring on debut.

His most recent appearance, in the Saudi Clasico no less, represented arguably his finest in the RSL thus far.

Last weekend, against an unbeaten Al Ittihad, Watkins shone, scoring once and providing two assists as Al Hilal defeated their Jeddah counterparts 3-2 at a raucous Kingdom Arena.

It took Watkins to four goals and four assists in his first five RSL outings. It equalled the highest tally for an Al Hilal player in their opening five games in the competition, previously set by Wesley during the 2012-13 campaign (seven goals, one assist). 

What’s more, those four assists constitute the largest positive difference between actual and expected assists of any player (+2.6) in the RSL this term.

To be fair, Watkins wasn’t brought in to supply the ammunition; he was expected to be on the end of chances, created by the likes of Ruben Neves, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Crysencio Summerville and Gabriel Martinelli.

But perhaps that creative streak shouldn’t surprise. Because Watkins isn’t your typical No.9, primarily given he wasn’t developed as one.

Earlier in his career, he played as a winger, honing those fundamentals that actually make him such a devastating striker. The speed, the movement, the timing have never deserted him.

Still, it took a period to transform into a fearsome frontman, with the arrival of Unai Emery at Aston Villa crucial to Watkins’ development.

“Before, maybe I was running into the channels and into the corners and doing a lot of work for the team,” Watkins told TNT Sports in 2023. “Now, I’m staying within the width of the box and timing my runs.”

Or as English striking great Ian Wright put it: “His movement has purpose.”

For a team containing some of the RSL's finest passers, Al Hilal may just have found the missing ingredient: a striker who never stops giving them somewhere to play the ball.

Watkins credits his progression to Aston Villa’s performance coach Antonio Rodriguez Saravia.

“I work with him every day [doing] extras out on the training field,” Watkins once said. “Sometimes we don’t even do finishing practice. We may just watch videos and analysis. He is the key for me. He has helped me so much.

“I’ve learned a lot in a short space of time: my movement, my mentality, being patient.”

The strength of Watkins’ current skillset is attacking space in behind the defence. UEFA Technical Observer Steve Holland, former assistant to Gareth Southgate with England, noted as much in a technical analysis from last season's UEFA Europa League - a title Villa won.

"Although the movements by Watkins were different, they all adhered to similar principles of attacking the space behind,” Holland wrote. “The key for a striker, of course, is that if you keep getting into threatening positions, the chances will come. Perseverance is key."

Over six years at Aston Villa, Watkins mastered the art of both getting into threatening positions, and most importantly, finishing them.

He scored double figures in each of his six Premier League seasons at Villa, with tallies of 19, 16 and 16 in his past three alone, and departed Villa Park as the club’s all-time leading goalscorer in the competition.

Watkins’ career arc has been anything but straight forward. Just a decade ago, he was playing sixth tier football for Weston-super-Mare, but the journey has helped shape the player and person he has become.

“It's taken a lot of hard work to get to where I am today,” he said after scoring for England against the Netherlands in the semi-finals of the 2024 European Championships.

From sixth-tier football to the Premier League, the FIFA World Cup and now the RSL. When Al Hilal opted for Watkins this summer, they envisaged acquiring a forward to fire them to a first league title in three seasons.

The way Watkins has begun the campaign, most notably in that classic Clasico display, their faith appears well founded.