Exeter City have confirmed that they and Brentford are due financial compensation from Aston Villa after Ollie Watkins made his England debut last night.

When Exeter sold Watkins to Brentford in 2017 it was agreed they would receive 15% of any future income for the striker, including the add-on clauses that were included in his move to Villa last summer.

The Grecians have confirmed that as part of the deal that saw the 25-year-old swap west London for Villa Park in the summer, the Premier League outfit must pay the Bees £1 million for every international start in a competitive fixture and £500,000 if it is as a substitute – while those fees are halved if it is a friendly.

That means Villa owe Brentford £500,000 after last night's game, with League Two Exeter due £75,000 (15%) of that.

Additionally, Villa must pay the Bees £1 million per year that they remain in the Premier League – though the maximum total of all these add-on payments is £5 million (£750,000 for Exeter).

Watkins came through the Exeter academy and scored 26 goals in 78 appearances before leaving to join Brentford, in a deal that has already proven to be a huge financial boost for the South West club.

The Verdict

This is a sign of some great negotiating from both Brentford and Exeter.

Fans of the Grecians will have loved to see one of their own make his England debut and find the net last night, but that will have been made even better by the fact it's earned their club a financial boost.

Things could yet get better with two more international fixtures scheduled over the next week.

Watkins has proven a fantastic signing for Villa and it looks near-certain that they will stay up this term, meaning the two EFL clubs will be due a further payment.