Matt Maher: The three questions which help explain Ollie Watkins' Aston Villa exit

Am I playing? When are my days off? How much am I getting paid?

It’s always been a valuable lesson to keep in mind.

Much as the sport still possesses enough romance to distract us, it is ultimately a business and quite often a brutal one at that.

It’s why while Ollie Watkins’ desire to swap the Champions League for the Saudi Pro League was in some respects surprising, in reality it should have been no surprise at all.

Villa’s best striker for the best part of 30 years was offered the chance to more than treble his money, in a competition which requires nowhere near the same physical demands as the ones in which he has regularly excelled this past decade.

There will be many who, quite rightly, point out Watkins was already earning the kind of cash most of the planet’s population would struggle to comprehend.

But then it is impossible to empathise with multi-millionaires. At Watkins’ level, the money must still make a difference. Quite often, you suspect, it comes down to what it represents in terms of status and standing among fellow professionals.

At the same time, you can’t help but wonder whether he isn’t looking at some of his former team-mates with a sense of envy.

Of the high-profile Villa Park exits this summer, his is the only one where the destination is not a serious European challenger.

Youri Tielemans joined Manchester United, Morgan Rogers went to Chelsea and Ezri Konsa to Arsenal. In Paris Saint-Germain, Lucas Digne has joined the best team in world football.

Even Emi Martinez, at last, has got a move which will keep him a major player in the Premier League.

Time will tell but don’t be shocked if the goalkeeper’s £7.5million switch to Chelsea turns out to be one of the best deals of the summer.

After six years - the past two of those spent trying to engineer an exit - it was clear Martinez leaving Villa was in everyone’s best interests.

But he is still one of the best keepers in the league and a serious upgrade on Robert Sanchez. With no Europe to worry about this season, Chelsea may finally be serious title challengers.