Growing up as a Torquay United fan, Ollie Watkins, like many boys his age, always had great ambitions of becoming a professional footballer when he grew up. 

Starting off as something of a raw talent, the youngster first joined Exeter City's academy at under 11's level, which was at the time an achievement in itself, as the player had failed a previous trial with the Grecians.

However despite this early setback, Exeter's academy manager, Simon Hayward was quick to point out that they had never intended to reject Watkins at that age, explaining the following to Exeter's official website:

"We just wanted to sign him when the timing seemed right and when we felt he was ready."

Upon being signed up Watkins unsurprisingly embarked on a rapid rise through the club's academy system,  subsequently earning a scholarship deal with the Grecians back in 2012, with the player having displayed great early signs of his goal scoring prowess even at such a young age.

The then left winger then went on to make his first team bow for the Devonshire club during the 2013/2014 season before then embarking on his first real experience of professional football by heading out on loan to non-league Weston-super-Mare.

During his time with the Seagulls, Watkins gradually developed into more of a physically imposing player as he managed to notch 10 goals for the Conference South club before making his return to St James Park at the end of the 2014/2015 season.

Naturally his form during his temporary spell caught the eye of the then Exeter boss Paul Tisdale, who was quick to integrate the youngster into his first team plans for the 2015/2016 campaign.

What followed this was the forward's first real standout campaign for his boyhood club as he registered nine goals and four assists for the Grecians, despite being used in numerous positions by Tisdale, often playing wide on the left or as a support striker.

Watkins continued to showcase his ability to adapt to playing in various roles, becoming more of a key player for the club as time progressed into the 2016/2017 campaign, which would go on to become the player's best season in an Exeter City shirt.

It was the aforementioned campaign that Watkins first began to develop into the out and out goalscorer that he is in present day, as Tisdale showed a great show of trust in the youngster's ability to lead the line as a centre forward, with the newly blooded forward repaying his manager's faith by netting 16 goals in all competitions.

Given that the Grecians lost out in the play-offs that season, it was perhaps seen as something of inevitability when Watkins was eventually sold to Championship outfit Brentford after a summer of speculation over the player's long-term future.

Arriving at Griffin Park initially under the stewardship of Dean Smith, Watkins was largely deployed wide on the left, arguably restricting his ability to get into clear goal scoring positions.

Despite this the player showed great determination to adapt to the full throttle nature of the Championship, ending his first season with 10 goals, before Smith subsequently departed for Aston Villa early in the 2018/2019 campaign.

Due to the presence of Neal Maupay at the West London club, Watkins was once again deployed on the left flank by new boss Thomas Frank, thus largely struggling to hit the goal scoring heights that he had recorded during his time at Exeter.

Then the breakthrough came this season for the 24-year-old, with Maupay getting snapped up by Premier League Brighton, Frank was left with a big decision to make.

Sign a new striker or put faith in Watkins as his first choice number nine, subsequently the Dane was forced to pluck for the latter as the Bees saw attempts to sign Lyle Taylor from London rivals Charlton fall flat.

In the meantime, Watkins has finally had the shackles taken off this season, as his role at centre forward has allowed him to notch an impressive 22 Championship goals to date, thus firing his side into promotion contention this season.

One of the key reasons why the 24-year-old thrives in this role is his physical prowess, with the striker's towering frame allowing him to pin opposition centre backs and subsequently link up with Bryan Mbeumo and Said Benrahma on the flanks, thus creating a triple attacking threat which is hard for many defences to cope with.

With his main attributes being his dribbling ability and searing pace, it is perhaps a tad surprising just how well the young forward has developed into such clinical finisher, with the amount of headers scored by the forward being a particular highlight.

A hattrick of headed finishes against Barnsley earlier in the campaign has seen a gradual increase in the amount of floated balls being put into the box by the Bees over the last few months, as Frank seeks to add different variations to his side's attacking play, with Watkins naturally being the main focal point.

His performances in the second division have unsurprisingly not gone unnoticed by clubs from afar, with the likes of Crystal Palace and Chelsea having been linked with a move for the striker, with Watkins fitting the bill for what most clubs look for in an out and out centre forward at Premier League level.

With his current deal at Griffin Park set to expire in 2023, the Bees will surely be in no rush to lose their talisman, with any interested parties having to pay a premium fee to secure the services of a player who has rapidly risen from being simply a raw talent to an out and out goalscorer in the space of just a few seasons.