Ollie Watkins arrived at Brentford in July 2017 as one of the brightest young talents in the EFL, having made his name at Exeter City.

Watkins progressed through the ranks at St James Park and, after a productive loan spell with Weston-super-Mare where he scored 10 goals, the striker broke into Exeter’s first team during the 2015/16 season.

A season later, the forward missed just one league game as the Grecians reached the League Two play-off final, scoring 16 goals and providing 13 assists in 52 appearances in all competitions.

He also picked up a host of individual honours, including the EFL League Two Player of the Month award for January 2017 and the EFL Young Player of the Year prize, before completing his move to west London that summer.

Dean Smith, Brentford head coach at the time, said: “We believe that Ollie is a player with an awful lot of potential. He showed last season what great talent he has and he has developed into a goalscorer.”

Initially used from the left, Watkins made an immediate impression in his first season with the Bees. He scored his first Brentford goal in a 3-1 extra-time win away to AFC Wimbledon in the EFL Cup, before going on to reach double figures.

He followed that up with another consistent season in 2018/19, again scoring 12 goals in all competitions, as his pace, direct running and ability to attack the penalty area made him one of Brentford’s most reliable attacking outlets.

It was in 2019/20 that Watkins became a key player for the west Londoners. After Neal Maupay’s departure to Brighton and Hove Albion, Watkins was converted into a central striker by Thomas Frank and became the focal point of one of the most exciting attacks in the Championship.

Alongside Saïd Benrahma and Bryan Mbeumo, Watkins formed part of the fabled ‘BMW’ front three, whose goals, movement and chemistry helped fire Brentford to within one game of the Premier League.

Watkins scored his first Brentford hat-trick in a 3-1 win at Barnsley in September 2019. He started every league game that season, scoring 26 goals in all competitions and finished as the Championship’s joint-top scorer.

His performances earned him the Sky Bet Championship Player of the Season award and a place in the PFA Championship Team of the Year.

Watkins’ final game for Brentford came in the 2020 Championship play-off final at Wembley, where the Bees were beaten 2-1 by Fulham.

He left Brentford to join Aston Villa in September 2020, departing with 49 goals in 143 appearances for the Bees.

Watkins established himself on the international stage after leaving west London, scoring on his England debut against San Marino in March 2021 and memorably netting the last-minute winner against the Netherlands to send the Three Lions into the Euro 2024 final.