£40m Aston Villa Star and Unai Emery ‘Not on the Same Page’

“Villa have been very firm on their asking price, and that might be because they wanted to invest some of the Duran money into a player in a different position – for example, Amadou Onana.

“But one thing is clear that as much as Villa thinking Duran is a top footballer, they are prepared to let him go, because they don’t necessarily think that he is on the same page as Unai Emery with his pathway at the football club.

“He’s looking for more imminent and instant game time, and Unai Emery wants a slightly slower pathway progression, so the player is keen on going elsewhere.”

Watkins Talents Show Why Duran is Backup

You only have to look at England’s game against the Netherlands on Wednesday evening, as they cruised to consecutive major tournament finals for the first time in their history, to realise why Duran is behind Watkins in the pecking order.

The Torquay-born star hasn’t had a fair crack at the whip at EURO 2024, but Gareth Southgate’s introduction of the Villa star with 10 minutes to go proved a masterstroke. His off-the-ball movement is some of the best in the Premier League, and being able to twist Inter Milan star Stefan de Vrij inside out before burying his strike low and hard beyond Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen had all the showings of a lethal, in-form striker.

Duran could be better off learning his craft from the former Brentford man – with more opportunities likely to be available whilst Villa have Champions League football – before moving on.