Ollie Watkins (born 30 December 1995) is an English professional footballer who plays as a forward for club Aston Villa and the England national team. Watkins is a product of the Exeter City academy and made his breakthrough at the club, winning the EFL Young Player of the Year award, before departing in 2017 for Brentford. He had a successful three-year spell at the club, culminating in being the joint top-scorer in the 2019–20 Championship and being named Championship Player of the Year in 2020. He signed for Aston Villa in September 2020. Early life and education Oliver George Arthur Watkins was born on 30 December 1995 in Newton Abbot, Devon. He grew up in Newton Abbot and attended South Dartmoor Community College. Watkins is a boyhood Arsenal fan. Club career Exeter City Watkins joined Exeter City's academy at U11 level, having previously failed a trial with the club at the age of 9 in 2003. He rose through the youth ranks to sign a scholarship deal in 2012 and off the back of scoring 30 goals for the U18 team in its 2013–14 Football League Youth Alliance South West Conference-winning season, he signed a two-year professional contract in April 2014. Watkins won his maiden first-team call up when he was named as a substitute for the final League Two match of the 2013–14 season versus Hartlepool United and he made his senior debut when he replaced Aaron Dawson after 77 minutes of the 2–0 victory. Watkins was frequently named as a substitute by Paul Tisdale during the first three months of the 2014–15 season, but despite scoring his first senior goal (a late consolation in a 3–1 Football League Trophy second round defeat to Coventry City on 7 October 2014), he made just three appearances before departing on loan to Weston-super-Mare for the remainder of the campaign in December 2014. 2014–15: Loan to Weston-super-Mare On 8 December 2014, Watkins and Exeter City teammate Matt Jay joined Conference South club Weston-super-Mare on one-month loan deals. Through repeated extensions of the loan, Watkins would remain with the Seagulls until the end of the 2014–15 season. He featured regularly for the team, scoring 10 goals in 25 appearances before returning to St James Park at the end of the season. 2015–17: Breakthrough After failing to be named in a first-team squad during the opening two months of the 2015–16 season, Watkins broke