Aston Villa forward Jhon Duran has signed a new contract with the club that will see him remain at Villa Park until 2030. The news will come as a blow to some of the biggest clubs around Europe, like Barcelona and Real Madrid, who had developed an interest in signing the Villa forward.
The 20-year-old Colombian has been in sensational form at the start of the new season, scoring six goals including the winner in Aston Villa's historic Champions League victory over Bayern Munich. Before that goal, he had scored the winning goal in matches against West Ham United, Leicester, Everton and Wycombe Wanderers.
Duran's bumpy Villa journey so far
Duran signed for Villa from MLS side Chicago Fire in January 2023 in a fairly surprising move. Having scored eight goals in 28 appearances for the American outfit, Emery saw enough in his potential to sanction a move to the Premier League.
In his first season with the club, he made twelve Premier League appearances but did not start a single game. With Aston Villa pushing hard to qualify for Europe and star forward Ollie Watkins in great form, it was always going to be tricky to break into the side straight away at such a young age.
During the 2023/24 season, his opportunities to play improved. Scoring five times in the Premier League and three times in the Europa Conference League represented a decent season for the youngster, but his chances to start matches were few and far between. Starting just three league games all season, again largely down to the blistering form of Watkins, it was clear that Duran was beginning to grow frustrated at his lack of playing time. The fact he scored some crucial goals for the club, including the late brace against Liverpool that sealed Villa's qualification for the UEFA Champions League, emphasised his frustration at having limited opportunities.
As a result of that frustration, Duran and his team were active during the summer transfer window in trying to force a move away from the club. Duran had been heavily linked with both Chelsea and West Ham, who were both put off by Villa's asking price of approximately £40 million. His relationship with the Villa fans had reached an all-time low after appearing on an Instagram Live feed that showed him making the Hammers sign with his hands, at a time when a move to the London club was getting closer. Many fans would have been happy to see the back of the Colombian after the 'disrespect' that had been shown toward the club, but in the end, Duran remained at Aston Villa, and they are now very glad he did!
Becoming a "different player this season"
Praised by his teammates, the manager and the fans, Duran has approached the new season with nothing but positivity and professionalism. It has been well documented by the Aston Villa social media team how much his mood at the club has improved and it is believed that an open and honest talk with Unai Emery towards the end of the summer transfer window helped to clarify the understanding between both parties.
Despite not starting a Premier League gamer yet this season, his importance to the team can not be underestimated. Coming off the bench in every game so far this term, and scoring six times in ten appearances, he has rebuilt his relationship with all concerned at the club. His importance to the team has been evidenced by Emery's willingness to introduce him to the game much earlier than in the previous campaign, and often taking the place of Ollie Watkins. There is a clear show of faith from the manager that Duran is thriving from.
"Thank you for the love you have shown me since I arrived, we have had a couple of disagreements, but I think that now we are in a good relationship, and I am happy that you give me the love that the fans give me."Jhon Duran
What does the future hold for Duran at Aston Villa?
Now that his long-term future has been committed to Aston Villa, what does the future hold for him?
With Ollie Watkins approaching his thirties, it could well be the case that the club see Duran as his successor. His all-round game in terms of work ethic, ability in possession and so forth is not at the level of Watkins as of yet, but with increasing chances to play this season and working regularly under Unai Emery, he could well succeed the England international.
This season it is also likely that Duran and Watkins will feature together more often. The dynamic of having an impact sub as talented as Duran is something that is working wonderfully for the team at the moment. The Colombian has thrived coming up against a defence that has been worked hard by Watkins in the first hour or so of a game, which gives him greater opportunities to score when he enters the pitch. He will hope to start more often as the season advances, and it will be difficult for Emery to leave him on the bench if he continues to score goals at his current rate.
UTV