Aston Villa turned down 40 offers for a player who Unai Emery rates highly during the summer transfer window.
Emery’s side were extremely active in the window with eight signings, six sales and several outgoing loan deals.
They lost Douglas Luiz and Moussa Diaby, who were integral to their Champions League qualification, but they were adequately replaced by Amadou Onana and Jaden Philogene.
Meanwhile, Ian Maatsen and Ross Barkley – who has been compared to Diego Maradona – bolstered the squad ahead of what will be a lengthy 2024/25 campaign.
However, one of Villa’s best moves was keeping hold of one of their top talents – who has scored two match-winning goals already this season.
Aston Villa rejected 40 offers for Jhon Duran
There was plenty of interest in forward Jhon Duran, including from Premier League rivals West Ham, but Villa decided not to sell the 20-year-old.
This came as a surprise to many as the Colombian seemed unwilling to play second fiddle to Ollie Watkins.
Director of football operations, Damian Vidagany, explained the club’s decision to keep Duran despite interest from elsewhere.
“In every team, there are two very, very important positions. Every position is important, of course, but the keeper and the striker are two very specific positions.
“If you have a great keeper, the second keeper can be as good as he can be – but it’s difficult to change. If you have Ollie Watkins, it’s very difficult to find someone better because he is a great striker, maybe in the top two or three in the Premier League.
“Ollie is a top professional and high-quality striker. So, did Duran want to leave the club? Yes. That’s normal because he wants to play. There were no fewer than 40 clubs who wanted Duran – because everyone wanted him.
“Jhon Duran is a 20-year-old boy and he knows what we know – that he has huge potential. He can be one of the best strikers in the world…period. Unai is giving him more minutes. And we have spoken to him. He’s training well – and he’s happy.
“If there is one club that really thinks Duran can become one of the best in the world, then that club is Aston Villa and that manager is Unai Emery.”
What Unai Emery thinks about Jhon Duran
Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, also revealed that Emery’s high opinion of Duran is one of the key reasons for keeping him.
“Unai is very confident with Jhon Duran. Very confident. He thinks he can become one of the best strikers in the world in the next 12 months. He is 100 per cent convinced.
“So, what is the problem? We also have Ollie Watkins and Duran wants to play. He thinks he is better than Watkins. That is normal because every player thinks he is better than their team-mates.
“Managing Watkins and Duran is not easy but in the end, it is the best for the team. If you have two big strikers it is better than only one.”
Of course, having two top strikers is a luxury that most teams do not have but – as long as Watkins is first choice – it seems only a matter of time before Duran asks to leave for more playing time again.
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