Villa faced a bit of a scare against Celtic but managed to pull off a 4-2 victory at a lively Villa Park, ensuring they qualified automatically with an eighth-place finish in the league.
They started strong with Morgan Rogers scoring twice in the first five minutes, but Celtic quickly equalized with two goals from Adam Idah in just over two minutes right before half-time.
Watkins brushed off the transfer rumors and stepped up in the second half, scoring a crucial goal to put Villa back in the lead. Although he missed a penalty afterward, Rogers capped off his first career hat-trick in stoppage time, securing Villa's progression without needing a play-off.
From Villa's perspective, Arsenal's timing for their bid was pretty poor, especially considering the importance of the match against the Scottish side.
After the game, reports indicated that Villa turned down Arsenal’s offer, and Emery didn’t give any hints that would encourage the Gunners to up their bid for a player who has netted 11 goals in 32 appearances this season.
“Watkins is our striker. I know you want to ask about it, but I told you, today is not the day,” a visibly frustrated Emery said.
Arsenal is on the hunt for a new striker since Gabriel Jesus is out for the season with a knee injury.
If Watkins, who made the move to Villa from Brentford in 2020, is still around when the transfer window wraps up on Monday, it looks likely that Jhon Duran could be heading to Al Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. Duran has mostly been coming off the bench under Emery, even though he’s had some standout moments this season.
When asked about Duran's future, Emery didn’t dismiss the possibility of letting him go in a deal worth around £64 million.
“I don’t know if Jhon Duran is leaving but if he is, it is good news for us because he is leaving because it is good money,” the Spaniard said.
“Tomorrow or Friday we can talk about the transfer. Until everything is done I don’t want to speak, because in football everything can happen.
“The club is working and trying to compete in the transfer window because we need some players. Some can leave, but it is not time to speak about it.”
Celtic had already secured their spot in the play-off round after last week's victory against Young Boys.
However, their chances of dodging a matchup with one of the tournament's big names took a hit when they found out that either Real Madrid or Bayern Munich will be their next challenge.
Brendan Rodgers and his squad will have to wait until Friday's draw to see which of these European powerhouses stands in their way of reaching the last 16.
The Celtic manager acknowledged that taking down either team will be a huge challenge, but he’s confident they can pull off a major upset.
“We know it’s either Bayern Munich or Real Madrid in the next round, so that’ll be a huge challenge,” Rodgers said.
“It’s what the players deserve for what they’ve given over the course of the eight games.
“We’re building confidence and showing we’re a team that can play and make it difficult for the top teams.”
Celtic’s qualification for the knockout stages, achieved after a twelve-year absence, is noteworthy despite their significant 7-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in October.
“I’m just so proud of everyone across Australian cricket who’s worked to support the players since they’ve been in Australia,” Rodgers said.
“The word that strikes me at the moment is pride. We’re nowhere near the resource levels of teams in the Premier League, but we can still be competitive.”