Unai Emery sends message to Arsenal and West Ham over January transfer
Unai Emery has issued a warning to Arsenal, West Ham and any other club interested in signing Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran before the January transfer window closes.
Duran was once again named on Villa’s bench on Sunday as England international Ollie Watkins started the Premier League clash against West Ham.
Colombia star Duran has only started four league games this season and his lack of regular minutes has led to speculation over a January exit.
Duran was heavily linked with West Ham and Chelsea before Aston Villa secured his signature in a deal worth £17m.
West Ham have revived their interest during the January transfer window, reportedly approaching Aston Villa with a £57m bid.
Arsenal have also been linked with a move for the 21-year-old as Mikel Arteta looks to bolster his attacking options before the window shuts.
Speaking after Aston Villa’s 1-1 draw with West Ham, Emery admitted the Duran transfer rumours were proving to be a distraction but insisted he wants the forward to stay at the Midlands club.
‘The circumstances in this moment are not helping us to be 100% focused,’ Emery told Sky Sports when asked about Duran’s future.
‘But Jhon Duran is our player and I am happy with him. I want him here with us. I want him here.’
Duran has scored 12 goals in 28 appearances for Aston Villa this season but would undoubtedly boast better numbers if he was starting more regularly.
Speaking before the West Ham game, ex-Liverpool and England defender Jamie Carragher suggested Aston Villa should cash in on Duran.
‘I’d sell Jhon Duran,’ he said. ‘It probably goes against the grain of what most clubs would do because, normally in that situation, you probably sell the older one, Ollie Watkins as you’d probably think, “This guy is going to here a long time”.
‘But I’d try and get an extra £10m out of him. He looks a great player. When people talk about big squads, sometimes players also need to know they’re playing.
‘You always remember how Tottenham could never find a striker when they had Harry Kane because what striker, what good striker, is going to wait for Harry Kane.
‘I don’t think you’re quite getting the best out of Ollie Watkins, knowing that Jhon Duran is going to come on with 15 to 20 minutes to go every single game.
‘But he has to bring him on with 15 to 20 minutes to go because otherwise he’s going to be unhappy.’
Aston Villa were held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham on Sunday as Emerson Palmieri’s 70th-minute goal cancelled out Jacob Ramsey’s early opener.
‘We started the second part of the season with two wins and two draws,’ Emery added. ‘We are very ambitious and we want more.
‘We have to keep going and focus on Wednesday, recover some players, and try to use the last week in the transfer window.
‘We have to get our performances quality. We want to play in Europe.’