Aston Villa’s January transfer window is proving to be a huge success, with the likes of Marco Asensio, Marcus Rashford and Axel Disasi all contributing to their recent run of form, including a 6-1 victory over two legs against Club Brugge in the Champions League.
Marco Asensio celebrates for Aston Villa
Unai Emery was able to bolster his squad options ahead of their European venture, as they now find themselves in the quarter-final of the competition, set to face PSG.
Whilst there was plenty of success in the January window, there was also a huge sale, which could be conceived as both positive and negative, as they received such a high fee but lost a very talented squad member.
The loss of Jhon Duran from Aston Villa
Aston Villa signed Jhon Duran from Chicago Fire in the January 2023 transfer window, joining the club for a fee of around £14.75m with a potential further £3m in add-ons. Duran made 78 appearances for the Villans, scoring 20 goals.
But, it was at the start of the 2024/25 season that the Colombian international really exploded into life, netting four Premier League goals in the opening five games, despite coming from the bench in all five, only totalling 131 minutes across that handful of fixtures.
He also shone on the continental stage, scoring that memorable goal against Bayern Munich. It's a pity he didn't see fit to stay in English football.
Al Nassr's Jhon Duran celebrates with Al Nassr's Cristiano Ronaldo after the match
Indeed, the 21-year-old striker's excellent form saw teams from all over Europe interested in Duran, but Aston Villa decided to make the sale to Al Nassr, joining the Saudi Arabian club for a fee worth up to £71m, making it Villa's second-highest fee received for a player, behind only Jack Grealish.
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Aston Villa's new Jhon Duran
Luckily for Emery, the Midlands side has been able to replace Duran's goal contributions from the bench with their January signing, Asensio.
The Spaniard has made eight appearances since joining the club, already netting seven times, despite only totalling 383 minutes played. Just like Duran, he has been a true super sub.
Whilst Asensio isn't a centre-forward (as Duran was), he offers versatility across the front line, being a natural attacking midfielder who can also play off the right, drifting inside as a secondary number ten, or even as a false nine, something he did semi-regularly for PSG.
Asensio vs Duran 2024/25 comparison
Stats (per 90 mins)
Goals
Assists
xG
xAG
Progressive Carries
Progressive Passes
Shots Total
Goals/Shot
Key Passes
Shot-Creating Actions
Stats taken from FBref
When you compare Asensio's underlying numbers this season to those of Duran, you can see how the output has helped to ease the blow of losing their 21-year-old talisman, with the Spaniard not only replacing his goals, but also adding creative spark between the lines, helping to progress play and create chances for others as well as himself.
Former Arsenal, West Ham and Brighton defender, Matthew Upson, labelled Asensio "world-class" when speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live, praising the 29-year-old's "knack to pick up the right areas". It's safe to say he's been a cracking signing.
asensio-rashford-tielemans-aston-villa
Next season, Villa may look to replace Duran's centre-forward position in the squad with a different profile, but with the likes of Asensio, Rashford and even Donyell Malen, who was also signed in the January window, Emery is clearly happy with the options at his disposal for the back end of this campaign.
Marco Asensio celebrates for Aston Villa Related
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