you know, somehow that jokester of his agent may have been right all along to demand what he was asking for.....
Think Duran is a good example that people writing off our young players going to MLS are wrong. Duran got a big move as a teenager to a big league and Gomes played there a year and got a transfer to a great feeder club in Rennes. MLS isn't a dead end, it may not be the best league overall but unfortunately none of our guys are getting pulled directly from Colombia so MLS is actually showcasing them. Ideally the result is our guys don't have to go to MLS anymore and they can go direct to European teams but its clear that young players especially can actually thrive getting lots of playing time and importance in a league like MLS.
Well, his agent was desperately pushing for the move. It was Monchi and Emery that wouldn't go a penny under 40M pounds.
Honestly if he does live up to expectations and becomes a legendary goal-scorer, I genuinely want him to stay at Villa. There he can become a legend and form his own identity with a club that isn't known for success or players over recent generations. In the premier league especially, it could be the start of a legacy that he can leave if he celebrates himself with success within the league with a team like Villa that is improving.
Yes especially because of his age. But I don't think Duran would thrive in exactly the same way in other teams. He's in the perfect spot. Great coach and he can come on as a sub and be a hero every 2 weeks. And if he sometimes fails no one cares. He's in a perfect spot and I really pray he doesn't get too greedy and screw it up again. I think he still is behind Watkins when it comes to playing 90 minutes. They all remember these fantastic goals he scores coming on but no one thinks about those few games when he actually starts. Like against Wycombe in the leage cup. But eventually he will get to be more than a super sub, he's got all the time in the world. He may not be with the best team in the world but he's in the best team for him.
Love this photo of him with Dibu. https://www.threads.net/@villarepor...QGzcEWuW55DA4TpdEuM2kwZT3RUjd0RxoTixxhC0sFO8A Dibu had the experience of coming up at Arsenal before going to Villa - he gets how great it is to be making Villa a big six team again. I think we should all remember that los Colchoneros were a joke in Spain until Falcao took them to win the Europa League and then obliterated CL champion Chelsea in the Super Cup. Then they hired Simeone and started winning leagues and now are a contender every year. Villa have deep pocket owners, play in England's second city, have a rich history and a pretty decent side. If they can just get to other side of FFP and invest some of their money, a Duran fulfilling his potential could be the thing that puts them over the top. (That or his sale, like Falcao's could be the thing that frees the team to make the investments that do)
He’s still raw , dribbling , hold up needs improvement. Hopefully they keep developing this guy into q world class striker.
kinda disagree. you're speaking from a perspective of a 35 yo + guy right? At 20, heck 25-28 yo in EPL, no way ANY ONE would be happy with their 20 minutes just because you're banging goals. He's on the lower wage scale for the club and 2nd fiddle to Watkins who plays 2nd fiddle for an aging Kane for NT. I like Watkins and I like Villa but no way this will work for a season, if Duran keeps doing what he's doing. Something will break...it may even be from Watkins that finally breaks as it can't be easy to watch your 'understudy' get all the attention. Truth is, I'm a believer. This guy is the real deal and after YT a bit more as to how he even got to MLS, his talents were clearly at top for years amongst his youth peers. 2 recent players that remind me that there are some unique talents that are ready to compete at very young ages at the highest levels are Vinicius and Valverde, These were 'wonderkids' with tons of talent and their skillset was eventually proven to be too much to keep on the bench or loan out or just wait and develop until they were 'old enough'. And it's paid dividends. Duran is ready for primetime. I think of my oldest in college (19). Really smart, attending a highly selective school and yet she still makes stupid mistakes (as she should). He will grow and learn off the pitch (fingers crossed).
I'm as happy about Durans success as anybody on here but the other guys on that list are starters. The other day he played a 3rd div side and could only score on a non-existant penalty that was only awarded because there was no VAR in that game. As soon as he would begin to start games the stats would get much worse. I hope he proves me wrong but I think it would take a lot for Emery to pick Duran ahead of Watkins in a regular EPL game or CL.
[QUOTE="kromekote, post: 42564223, member: 206834" Duran is ready for primetime. I think of my oldest in college (19). Really smart, attending a highly selective school and yet she still makes stupid mistakes (as she should). He will grow and learn off the pitch (fingers crossed).[/QUOTE] Well even in the NT the guy is much more effective as a sub than a starter. Played great vs Peru, poorly against Argentina. But yeah I hope you are right. If watkins gets injured he'll probably get a few more starts, or if emery decides to play 2 strikers. Then we'll see. Hope you are right.
I think both things can be true, Duran is running really hot and his output is also rosy playing as a sub and he's a great talent with lots of upside. I don't think he'll stay as a sub another year, but hopefully wherever he goes people don't expect him to be the finished product and score at a rate he's scoring this year. I think it's clear though the guy is a goal scorer and that shot and his size and speed are always going to make him a valuable weapon.
This is a great analysis. I think the context is really important. We can say 'he is only a sub' but his impact is MASSIVE - he has the most goals as a sub of any striker in Europe and he has more goals from distance (starters or subs!) of any premier league striker. That's crazy. What excites me is the different types of goals too - clearly he is a special talent at ball striking from distance, but he has scored great goals with his head, shown skill with turning and scoring on the volley (remember the screamer against Palace last year) and opportunistic finishes within the box (think the bending shot that got taken away by VAR against Young Boys). For me it's less about time on field but a different set of skills he'll need to build out beyond scoring prowess to be the best '9' he can be - can he learn to lead the line and hold up the ball with defenders on his back? Can he read the field and pass with touch as Falcao learned over time and Watkins does so well for Villa now? That's the stuff when you look at the stats in the video that stands out as the areas where he can grow.
Villa fans are comparing him to a young Dwight Yorke. If he can somehow have a career anything close to that guy he will have a World Class career. Hopefully he continues to grow, mature and get better cause I rather he become a player like Yorke rather than Balotelli .
Sounds like Unai is going to give it a shot... https://www.threads.net/@villarepor...QGzLbtN89in2kXb_2ZdHtd-4N-7wmD2fAf9GdS17sVq5Q
If he starts against Manchester United, do you think that he'll actually show up yet again with another goal? Don't want to jinx him but I am curious how well of a goal scoring form he'll continue to bring to the table in such matches.
I don't think it'll happen unless he would play 2 forwards. I think it's a bigger chance to see him start against Chile. But I don't know if Lorenzo liked what he saw against Argentina from him. As they showed in the video you shared, creating chances and assists was zero compared to Watkins. So he's not very dynamic apart from his finishing. Although ironically he got an assist against Peru.
He's not completely useless at assisting but it's not his strength yet. Same as dribbling in smaller spaces. Some stuff to improve but not a huge deal
He played more '9' today showing ability to carry and distribute and good vision on passing actually. Just no real opportunities except for on the last play and sadly Rogers got in the way. But the hype with the fans singing as he was coming on and the commentators talking him up was really cool.
He just has to calm down a bit even when he gets frustrated. Feel like he's constantly criticizing his teammates if he doesnt get the ball. Villa looked tired today.
He was right today. Morgan made some BAD choices! Morgan also got mad at Duran for carrying the ball instead of passing when the crowd chanted SHOOT! Actually, I think if Morgan had dummied and let Jader shoot on the last play today, Villa win.