Aston Villa manager Unai Emery responded to a slow first half performance by his team in the Premier League collision with wolves on Saturday by making four replacements during the interval.
Among the players to go off, Star -Spits Ollie Watkins, who was recently the subject of an offer from Arsenal, that Villa rejected.
Watkins touched the ball only 12 times during the opening for 45 minutes at Molineux and he could not register any shot.
However, his removal from the game may be due to a fitness problem, instead of his poor performance, because the 29-year-old just seemed to be an injury just before the break.
Watkins required long attention from the Villa Medical Team after he fell awkward after a collision in the air with Wolves goalkeeper Jose Sa.
Villa lost 1-0 thanks to a 12th minute of Jean-Ricner Bellegarde when Emery Watkins, Jacob Ramsey, Andres Garcia and Lucas Digne withdrew. Their replacements were Leon Bailey, Donyell Malen, Ian Maatsen and Amadou Onana.
So far, Watkins has played this season in all 24 of the Premier League matches of Villa and scored 11 goals.
His status as one of the most invaluable players in Villa was improved earlier this week when fellow center Vooruit Jhon Duran was sold to Al-Nassr in Saudi Arabia for £ 64.5 million.
Duran was an unused sub in the Champions League on Wednesday evening when Villa Celtic defeated 4-2 to ensure a place in the round of 16.
Watkins just thought it was in that game, but Morgan Rogers stole the show by scoring a hat trick.
After they failed with their first offer for Watkins, Arsenal was expected to submit a different offer for the international English international.
Duran's departure apparently reduced the chance that Villa has the idea to sell Watkins this winter further reduced.
Moreover, a considerable injury would certainly put an end to all hope for a deal in the middle season.
Watkins, however, is seen as interested in a possible move to the Emirates Stadium.
He has not made it a secret that he is an Arsenal fan. In 2020, when he was still playing for Brentford, Watkins said during the London Football Awards: 'That is the dream to play one day before Arsenal. But you know, it's a long chance. '
Watkins also said at the time that Gunners -legend Thierry Henry was his idol when he grew up.
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