Over the course of the Premier League era, Aston Villa have had some exceptional strikers lead the line. Perhaps the best of the bunch was Dwight Yorke, who played for the Villans between 1990 and 1998 before departing to Manchester United. Another former Red Devil who also represented the Midlands side was Dion Dublin, who played for the club between 1998 and 2004.
In more recent years, Christian Benteke was one of the best strikers at Villa Park, scoring 49 times in 101 games. Nowadays, Ollie Watkins is the man of the moment upfront for Unai Emery’s side. The Englishman has already scored 75 goals and has 29 assists in 181 games in Claret and Blue.
There is another player who is in fine goalscoring form in the current Villa side. That man is Jhon Duran.
Duran’s Villa stats
The rise to the top has been quite something for 20-year-old Duran. Since he joined in a £18m deal from MLS side Chicago Fire in 2023, the Colombian has gone on a phenomenal run of goalscoring form to become one of the Premier League’s deadliest strikers.
The Villans’ number nine has already got a superb record in that famous Claret and Blue shirt. In 63 games, he has 16 goals, but what makes it most incredible is the number of minutes he has played.
Duran has featured for just 1666 minutes so far, equivalent to 18.5 full 90-minute games, meaning his goal tally is proportional to almost one goal per game.
This campaign has been no different for the deadly centre-forward. Already, the Colombia international has scored eight times in 14 games. That includes four in nine Premier League games and two in three Champions League games.
According to FBref, the former Chicago Fire attacker ranks 4th across Europe’s big five leagues for the most goals per 90 minutes with 1.48. That only factored in players who have played the equivalent of 90 minutes once or more. That shows exactly how deadly Duran has been in this campaign.
Incredibly, Villa are targeting a winger who could join the club and make the young striker even deadlier than he already is.
Aston Villa transfer news
The player in question here is Barcelona and Spain winger Ferran Torres. According to reports from Spain earlier this week, via London World, the Villans are set to go head-to-head with Arsenal for the winger’s signature. The report suggests that both clubs are ready to pay ‘a reasonable price’ in order to sign the Euro 2024 winner.
24-year-old winger Torres has already played Premier League football. He spent 18 months at Manchester City before moving to Barca for £46.7m upfront and a further £8.5m in add-ons in 2022. During his time at the Etihad Stadium, the winger played 43 games, scoring 16 times and grabbing four assists.
He has performed well for La Liga giants Barca, too, so it is perhaps surprising they are willing to part ways with him. He has 41 goal involvements in 123 games on the Spanish coast and has been an important player for Hansi Flick as they have dominated both domestically and in the Champions League.
Should Villa sign the winger this summer, he could well form a brilliant partnership with Duran. Typically throughout his career, the 24-year-old has developed a strong understanding with the centre-forward of his side. He has combined more times for a goal with Robert Lewandowski than any other player, with six.
Position
Games
Goal involvements
CF
78
6
CF
74
4
LB
65
4
CM
65
4
CF
58
4
This is certainly a trend that could continue at Villa Park. Duran is already one of the deadliest strikers in Europe, judging by both the number of goals he has scored and the underlying statistics. With the Barcelona number seven’s habit of forming dangerous partnerships with the strikers of his team, it is something that could well continue to happen.
Signing the “insanely good” attacker, as football talent scout Jacek Kulig described him, could be an excellent piece of business from Villa. Not only would they be adding a quality winger to their attack, but Torres could make Duran even more unplayable and help them continue to fight for top four spots in the Premier League.
£15m Aston Villa target considering leaving Boca Juniors in 2025 transfer
Villa are considering making a move for a player who is happy to leave his current club.
ByBrett WorthingtonOct 30, 2024
