New Delhi: After the heavy spending that Unai Emery oversaw over the summer for his side’s first season back in European football, no one would’ve expected the name to be on everyone’s lips would be that of Colombian striker Jhon Durán. The 20-year-old has been in excellent form for the Villans at the start of the season and could be the key man for the rest of the season as they battle it out on multiple fronts.
Aston Villa have started the season brightly after winning three out of their first four games this season and Durán has been a major part of that run of form. Even though Emery’s team hasn’t been at their best for the whole 90 minutes of their games, they have done enough to grind out important victories, which is what is expected out of a top team. The only blemish on their record as been an away defeat to Arsenal, and there’s no shame in losing to this Arsenal team.
The Premier League has seen quite a few players, the likes of Peter Crouch, Jermaine Defoe, Javier Hernandez, Daniel Sturridge and Oliver Giroud, all of whom made their presence known on the field after coming off the bench. While there’s a long for Durán to go before he reaches the level of the aforementioned players, it seems like Aston Villa have unearthed the league’s latest super-subs.
Jhon Durán Early Season Exploits
All three of Jhon Duran’s substitute goals this season have won the match for Aston Villa 😤
No player has scored more match-winning goals as a substitute in an ENTIRE Premier League season… and we’re only four games in! pic.twitter.com/He18a8TMFc
— Premier League (@premierleague) September 14, 2024
The Colombian is yet to start a game for the Villans this season but he’s already made his mark and then some following his explosive start to the season. He has already scored three goals for his side in the first four games of the season, all of them coming in just over 100 minutes of Premier League action. He’s played less than half an hour in all of Villa’s games this season and has still managed to be their best player till now.
Apart from the game that Villa lost to Arsenal, the 20-year-old has scored in each of Villa’s wins this season. In the wins against West Ham, Leicester City, and Everton, when the striker was brought onto the pitch the score was level in all the games and he would proceed to bag the winner for his side. He has already reached more than half of the tally he achieved last season in the league and doesn’t look like stopping anytime soon.
The striker has shown massive improvement from last season when he scored eight in 37 games and looks set to have a breakout season this year. Manager Unai Emery has previously stated that Durán has the ability to become one of the best strikers in the world, a sentiment that has been resonated by Villa keeper Emiliano Martinez.
Jhon Durán’s Summer Transfer Saga
Jhon Duran is a man in demand 👀 pic.twitter.com/ebCvDfJDBl
— Football Transfers (@Transfersdotcom) September 10, 2024
The striker was flirting with moves away from the club all summer and wouldn’t even have been at the club had the club got an acceptable offer for him. He was being courted by the London clubs, Chelsea and West Ham for the majority of the summer but neither side could agree on a fee for the Colombian and they moved on to other targets. He shone with his performances towards the end of last season which attracted the interest from other clubs.
Aston Villa’s recruitment chiefs claim that the club rejected a whopping 40 offers for their young striker over the summer because of how much the manager wanted him to stay at the club. Even the club’s president of football operations, Monchi, stated that Emery is very confident in Durán’s ability and believes that he can become one of the best strikers in the world in the next 12 months.
The Premier League club bought him for just £15 million from Chicago Fire in January 2023 but hadn’t been given enough game time at the club which left the player being unhappy at the club. With Ollie Watkins ahead of him in the pecking order, chances were few and far in between for Durán and he looked to leave the club but ultimately chose to stay and decided to fight for his place, something he conveyed to the Villa fans while celebrating his first goal of the season against the very club that were so keen to sign him, West Ham.
The Colombian striker has started the season in red-hot form and has been Aston Villa’s star this season, helping them win games on numerous occasions. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
