Matt Maher: Ollie Watkins stand-off risks bringing chaos to Aston Villa transfer plans

Through major squad upheaval, there was at least a sense of a plan, with the club moving decisively and quickly in response to high-profile departures.

Yet as the transfer window enters its final week, there is a risk of all-too-familiar chaos returning as Villa hunt a replacement for Ezri Konsa and seek a swift resolution to Ollie Watkins’ future.

It is Watkins who is now firmly in the spotlight after missing Sunday’s 4-0 defeat at Brighton, as he looks to force through a move to Al-Hilal. Boss Unai Emery hinted the striker had refused to play, a move which unquestionably damaged the player’s reputation in the eyes of supporters but also did little to assist Villa’s bargaining position.

Though their preference has always been to keep Watkins, scorer of 108 goals over the past six seasons, the truth is every player has his price.

The trouble, if Villa sources are to be believed, is Al-Hilal have not yet come close to matching it, their latest of four bids being thought to be some way below the initially reported £45million figure.

Yet with Watkins pushing for an exit, it is the Saudi club who hold the cards. Their transfer window does not close until September 10 and right now they can afford to stay patient, a luxury not so readily available to Villa.

For fans, meanwhile, it is now an emotionally-charged subject. Players have come back from worse, or in the case of Emi Martinez just 12 months ago, strikingly similar. Yet in a scenario where Watkins stays, he will have an awful lot of making up to do. Even then, things won’t ever be quite the same.

Whatever happens, Watkins is guaranteed to be remembered as one of the club’s finest strikers of the last 50 years, the first since Peter McParland to reach a century of goals.

He’s been a terrific servant and pound-for-pound, probably the best No.9 to wear claret and blue since Dwight Yorke.

Yorke’s standing, of course, has never recovered from the manner of his own exit to Manchester United 28 years ago. But at least he was present, if only in body, when Villa drew 0-0 with Everton on the opening day of the 1998-99 season. And even then, his suitors had been the champions in four of the six previous Premier League seasons.

There’s no point pretending Watkins’ desired destination doesn’t add to the strength of feeling.

Al-Hilal might have some big-name players but they do not play in a top league. This would not be a move motivated by footballing ambition, not when you are turning your back on another shot at the Champions League.

No, the biggest lure of the Saudi Pro League has always been money, a subject upon which much nonsense is frequently written.

Some of those seeking to defend Watkins’ stance, for instance, claim he is being offered the chance of “generational wealth” - a dreadful new phrase apparently beloved of social media entrepreneurs.

Frankly, it is an insult to suggest Watkins’ current earnings of more than £100,000-a-week do not already fall into that category. The money received by Premier League footballers has long been way beyond the comprehension of not just supporters but most of the world’s population. Being the rich man who wants to get even richer is never going to win you any popularity contests.

None of which is to say Watkins is wrong to want the move. Villa are prepared to offer him more money (albeit not as much as Al-Hilal) to stay. This is simply the sport and a reminder of how it operates. It’s just that much more jarring when the player in question is a modern day hero, who you perhaps dared to believe was driven beyond the number of zeroes at the bottom of his bank balance.

Villa, for their part, cannot afford to get distracted by emotion. They need a solution. Right now, with everyone apparently standing firm, it is not entirely clear what that will be.