Ellie Watkins, wife of former Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins, has shared emotional posts on social media

Former Aston Villa striker Ollie Watkins and wife Ellie have been adjusting to life in Saudi Arabia only for attacks on the country to leave the star's other half praying for their new home. Saudi airspace has been hit by more than one attack as tensions rise in the Middle East.

Watkins, 30, joined Al-Hilal from Villa in a mega-money deal over the summer. Things have started well on the pitch but there is cause for concern off it.

Ellie shared a photo taken through an aeroplane window with the caption: "We are praying for our new home Riyadh." King Khalid International Airport in the Saudi capital was attacked for a second time by Houthi rebels earlier this month, with the British Foreign Office advising against all travel to parts of Saudi Arabia, particularly the region near the border with Yemen.

"This is completely contemptible action and it’s one of the reasons why the UK is providing support to Saudi Arabia in the form of air defences, but also air-to-air refuelling," UK defence secretary Wes Streeting said. “We want to see an end to this conflict. It cannot be right that the Houthis are attacking civilian targets in this way.”

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England international Watkins moved to Riyadh with his wife after his £51million Al-Hilal transfer. He and Ellie, who married in 2025, have two young children together.

He has already scored five goals and added four assists in six matches across league and cup competitions. Al-Hilal can move top of the Saudi Pro League table with victory over Al-Hazem on Monday night.

Even before the latest upheaval, the move left influencer Ellie experiencing conflicting feelings. She and children Amara, five, and Marley, three, bid farewell to their Birmingham roots and extended family to relocate to the Gulf.

In one photograph shared to her Instagram Story, she clasps Amara's hand while they watch a programme on her phone. The image carries a telling caption: "Holding my babies close praying it all gets better soon."

In a separate post, she stands alongside toddler Marley in the hallway of their stunning home. "I've been so quiet on here, sorry... just trying to move to another country and being a mum has been a lot," Ellie wrote.

Watkins spent six years at Villa Park - his longest spell at one team since leaving boyhood club Exeter City in 2014. He was part of the side which won last season's Europa League but has now followed the likes of Ivan Toney and Ruben Neves in trading the Premier League for the Saudi Pro League.

Ellie admitted to being in shock at the speed with which she and her family had been forced to adjust to their new surroundings. "Okay, well that wasn't on my bingo card for 2026," she previously said in August.

"We are in Riyadh, we arrived in Saudi last night and I think I'm still in shock to be honest like how life can change so quickly but that is the joys of football. I've always actually said how lucky I think we are because we've been at Villa for six years which in football terms is actually quite a long time.

"We've had our children there, we've had quite big life events so it feels bittersweet to me. I loved my life there, I settled so well and made the most amazing friends."