He says: “I’ve always said to my guys in the kitchen, ‘you can’t make a bad player good with his diet, but you can make a good player bad with his diet’. That’s why we place so much emphasis on everyone getting the right food at the right times.

“It’s massively vital to the players. It will eventually affect them on the pitch. It opens your eyes because fans don’t really see the different diets and requirements we have during the week, but it’s a good thing.

“We speak to the players and in this day and age, they’re so professional and they understand everything we’re trying to do and players follow trends quite a lot.”

Ahead of the new campaign, Watkins – who maintains a regular dialogue with his colleagues – has taken feedback on board to ensure that the squad are performing at their best.

“Every year, it progresses,” he adds. “Myself and my team within the Club try to reinvent ourselves every year. We sit down with players, sports scientists and nutritionists to see how we can bring things forward collectively as a Club for the benefit of the players.

“A lot of the players come to me to ask to take food home, especially the single guys, rather than buying takeaways, which isn’t always the best option. The way they enjoy my food is the highlight for me.

“I’ve already had a couple of meetings with the staff and players regarding next year’s travel menus.”

Watkins is hoping for another successful season in 2023/24, both on and off the pitch, and it’s clear that the Swans’ head chef has a huge part to play in that.

This feature originally appeared in the summer 2023 edition of the EFL Magazine.


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