West Ham transfer target Jhon Duran has been described as having problems with his “mental state and technical ability” since joining the Saudi Pro League.
The Hammers were strongly linked yesterday with a loan move for the young Colombian striker, who has struggled to settle in Saudi Arabia.
However, the suggestion that he is struggling technically is odd to say the least. Because while things haven’t gone entirely smoothly for Duran, he has still managed to score 12 goals in 18 games for Al-Nassr.
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That alone suggests that kicking a football isn’t the issue.
West Ham target Duran has scored goals in Saudi
That said, Duran is not the first—and won’t be the last—to find that a move which benefits the bank balance doesn’t always bring happiness.
Personally, I’d be gobsmacked if West Ham showed any real desire to push ahead with a move for a 21-year-old on extortionate wages.
Only last week, West Ham were reported to have rejected another player on a huge salary after being briefed that he was “difficult”. In that instance, the name was Jadon Sancho rather than Duran—but one suspects the reservations would be the same.
And all of that is before the player even goes through the Graham Potter MOT, which has already seen the Hammers boss reject at least three transfer targets.
Factor in West Ham’s recent experience with loaning Evan Ferguson, and it looks increasingly unlikely that any of this would be appealing.
The Jhon Duran saga looks set to continue—with the only winners being Aston Villa, who managed to trouser nearly £80m for a talented player who’s clearly struggling.