Unai Emery to have final say on Jhon Duran at Aston Villa amid Chelsea transfer talk
Unai Emery will have the final say on the future of Jhon Duran at Aston Villa, according to Don Goodman.
Duran has been limited to just two Premier League starts this season, largely due to the form of first-choice striker Ollie Watkins.
The Colombia international was linked with Chelsea last summer and again earlier this year [Sky Sports], but Goodman believes he should stay put.
Asked if he can see Duran pushing for a Villa Park exit, Goodman told Villa News: “Unai Emery strikes me as a very strong character, so if he doesn’t want him to leave the football club he won’t be going anywhere.
“He’s a player who is young and we have seen the raw potential he has. The most difficult thing for youngsters is finding consistency, but he certainly has all the tools to be a very, very top striker in the Premier League.
“He’s physical and knows where the net is. What separates the best strikers is the decision-making process and the decisions they make in the final third and the ones that make the right choices more often than not.
“They know when to pass, when to run, when to shoot, when to dribble and when to cross. That’s the area he needs to possibly work on, but he’s at the right place and under the right head coach to improve. If I were him, I wouldn’t be keen to get off too quickly.”
Jhon Duran has a big future at Aston Villa
Duran may only have made two Premier League start this season, and 21 overall when including substitute outings, but he has caught the eye.
Indeed, as per FBref, his 0.73 goals per 90 minutes in the top flight this campaign – three goals in 373 minutes – is the best return of any Villa player to have played more than two hours of football.
That is not to say Duran should start over Watkins, of course, but he does seem deserving of more regular starts.
It is inevitable that the transfer interest will resurface as we approach the summer transfer window, but Villa must stand firm and reject any bids.
In other Aston Villa news, Goodman has held his hands up regarding a comment made about Morgan Rogers.
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