“He thinks he is better than Watkins” - Aston Villa chief Monchi makes emphatic claim on Chelsea target Jhon Duran

Aston Villa chief Monchi claims that Chelsea and West Ham United target Jhon Duran thinks he's better than teammate Ollie Watkins. The Colombia international was linked with a move away this summer in search of regular game time.

It was the English number nine who led the line for the Villans In the 2023-24 campaign, with Duran playing second fiddle. However, Monchi claims that the club convinced the 20-year-old to stay and told The Athletic (via Birmingham World):

"If there is a club that really thinks Duran can become one of the top strikers in the world - then that one club is Aston Villa and that one manager is Unai Emery. There are no fewer than 40 clubs who want Duran- because everyone wants Duran."

"Emery is confident with Duran. Very confident. He thinks in the next year he can become one of the best strikers in the world. But what is the problem? We have Watkins and Duran wants to play. He thinks he is better than Watkins. That is normal."

Despite the praise, Duran has failed to start any of his club's first three Premier League matches of the new campaign. However, he's come off the bench in two of those matches and bagged two goals.

Meanwhile, Watkins, who is the first-choice striker at Villa Park, has started all three matches, failing to find the net even once and bagging an assist.

Duran's impact as a substitute could have manager Unai Emery thinking about his lineup ahead of Aston Villa's next tie. Once the international break concludes, the Villans host Everton on Saturday (September 14).

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Chelsea decided against signing Jhon Duran after thorough review - Reports

Chelsea were heavily linked with a move for Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran this summer. However, a report from the Athletic has claimed that the Blues decided against signing the Colombian forward after conducting a thorough review of the player.

As per the aforementioned report, the west Londoners remained unconvinced about certain aspects of the number nine, which led to this decision. Either way, Duran would not have been guaranteed minutes at Stamford Bridge, with Nicolas Jackson already playing the role.

Moreover, Chelsea also brought in youngster Marc Guiu from Barcelona while Christopher Nkunku can also operate in this position. While Duran is a young talent, he is fairly inexperienced and untested, having played 52 matches across competitions for Aston Villa and bagging 10 goals in the process.