Joe Cole has warned Aston Villa over their treatment of in-form striker Jhon Duran, who has massive links with an exit from the club.
Joe Cole has hinted that a player of Jhon Duran’s quality would start pushing for an exit if Aston Villa do not let him start games soon. The Colombian striker has been in sensational form this season and has made a massive impact, mostly as an impact substitute.
Former Chelsea man Joe Cole has warned Aston Villa via his comments on Give Me Sport that should Unai Emery continue to keep the in-form 20-year-old on the bench, Duran would look to leave the club.
Cole said, “Jhon Duran, I think he’ll go and become a major starter or at Villa. That’s the other thing though, if Villa don’t start him soon, he’s going to be thinking ‘well I’m going to go somewhere else and start’, because there is a good handful of clubs all around Europe who would take him and make him their number nine.”
Analysing the Duran situation, Aston Villa made a good decision to keep him despite their earlier stance of selling him, as plenty of suitors circled. Now, the price may have doubled for the striker from the £40 million Emery’s side were demanding in the summer, and there is justification, given Duran’s form this season.
His goal against Bayern Munich alone was worth a lot, and Aston Villa will look to maximise his value should they be forced to sell. Chelsea are still interested ahead of the January transfer window, although Villa are unlikely to sell him then.
Other big sides like Arsenal and Real Madrid are now chasing the striker. Aston Villa may have changed their stance, as they will not look to sell, at least in January. However, Joe Cole has an argument about the striker’s role, something Villa and Emery must address.
Emery has a huge dilemma as his other strikers, Morgan Rogers and Ollie Watkins, are not performing badly either. Tactically, Watkins stretches the defences for as long as he is on the pitch, allowing Duran to have a platform to exploit in the last 20 minutes of the game with his fresh legs.
Hence, both sides have a viable argument, but in this process of playing Duran off the bench in most games, Emery might be aiding his development in a big way. As for a transfer, Aston Villa are unlikely to entertain any offers for the striker unless they have a massive offer on the table.
