In a recent column on The Daily Briefing, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano offered an update on the future of Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran. Romano said,
“Jhon Duran was another name linked with Chelsea back in January, but the move was never close.
“At the moment I’m not aware of concrete contacts, he’s just one of many players they considered and discussed but it never led to a proper negotiation with Villa. He’s fully focused on Villa now, no one else.”
Duran’s Sporadic Role At Villa Park
Duran is having an impressive campaign at the West Midlands club as he has managed to put in a few eye-catching displays for them in the final third. The 20-year-old has banged in five goals and secured one assist in 25 matches for Aston Villa this season in various competitions.
The Colombian talent has seen most of his appearances off the bench which explains why he is only averaging 0.8 shots, 0.1 key passes and 0.1 dribbles per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He also needs to improve his link-up play in the opponent’s half after making 67.7% of his attempted passes in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
Should Aston Villa Boss Unai Emery Keep Hold Of Duran?
Duran can engineer some space for himself to get a few strikes in at goal and can chip in by scoring a few important goals for his team. However, he needs to find a way to improve his ball distribution in the final third.
The Colombian talent needs to ensure more first-team starts if he wants to make the most out of his playing career. At the moment, he finds himself behind Ollie Watkins in Aston Villa boss Unai Emery’s pecking order.
Unless the Villans are willing to offer him more starts in the upcoming campaign, Emery should consider cashing in on him in the summer transfer window. However, the West Midlands club can also choose to keep hold of him for the long run by tying him down to a new deal. Either way, Aston Villa would be better off deciding on Duran’s future at the end of this campaign as they are currently in a good position to secure a top-four spot in the Premier League.
