Aston Villa chief reveals ’40 clubs’ wanted attacker, but Emery feels he can ‘become best in world’

Aston Villa director of football operations Damian Vidagany has revealed that “no fewer than 40 clubs” wanted Jhon Duran in the summer, but he stayed as Unai Emery feels he can “become one of the best in the world”.

Chelsea and West Ham both made attempts to sign Duran in the summer. The forward himself agitated for a move to the latter, by making the Hammers sign on a social media video.

The reasons for his desired departure are, as the club suggest, that he feels he’s the best option up top for Villa.

But they would not let him go to any club who wanted him – and there were a lot – because of their belief that he can go right to the top, as per both president Monchi and Vidagany.

“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,” Monchi said.

“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. To manage Watkins and Duran is not easy but at the end it is the best for the team. If you have two big strikers it is better than only one.”

Vidagany added: “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.”

DON’T MISS: The 10 most expensive Aston Villa signings of all time as £50m Amadou Onana takes top spot

Villa still looking at striker signings

In the summer, it was reported that Villa were ok with Duran leaving, as getting him off the books could have led them to Joao Felix, who was said to be Emery’s main objective.

He has now gone to Chelsea, but another forward is in their sights.

Indeed, reports suggest that the Villans are keen on the signing of Bryan Mbeumo, from Brentford.

The forward, who can play both as a winger and a striker, is said to have a £50million price tag on his head, which could cause a bidding war between Premier League giants.

How does Duran compare to Watkins

Villa’s directors suggest that Duran feels he is a better player than Watkins, and therefore feels he should be playing ahead of him.

Last season, there was good reason for the Englishman to be picked ahead of his team-mate, given he ended the campaign with 27 goals and 13 assists in all competitions.

In comparison, Duran had just eight goals, though in a lot fewer games, given there was often no reason for Watkins to be dropped to the bench.

But this term, in 21 minutes of Premier League action, Duran has two goals.

Watkins, on the other hand, is yet to score, and has assisted once in 159 minutes.

As such, at present, it seems the Colombian might actually be the best option for Villa, But given Watkins has been directly involved in 97 Villa goals in 172 games, it’s unlikely he’ll stay down for long.