Aston Villa's hopes of playing Champions League football for the second time in three seasons hang in the balance ahead of the final stretch of the 2025/26 campaign.
Though Unai Emery's side occupy fourth place in Premier League, Liverpool and Chelsea are breathing down their neck. The squad has been stretched and success in reaching the latter stages of the Europa League comes with the by-product of fatigue.
Aston Villa manager Unai Emery during the match -3
John McGinn's return from injury has proved pivotal in the Villans rediscovering their fluency and scoring a few crucial recent wins, but Emery will still need to see some more sharpness from his focal players, with Ollie Watkins not quite at his best at number nine.
Ollie Watkins' form at Aston Villa
When Aston Villa signed Tammy Abraham from Besiktas for around £17m in January, it was an acknowledgement that more strength was needed at the front of the ship.
Jhon Duran was sold to Al Nassr for £71m in January 2025, and the England international's powers have started to wane. He's only 30 years old but has put in the hard yards for many years now, and maybe feels a degree of wear-and-tear.
While Watkins has scored nine goals from 30 Premier League outings this season, he has also missed 15 big chances. He has never been the most incisive striker, but his energy and movement and dynamism as frontman makes up for any profligacy.
Recent reports suggest that Emery is open to selling the forward, and when considering that five of his league goals are bunched together in a winter purple patch, it's understandable.
Ollie Watkins' Premier League Career (by season)
Season
25/26
24/25
23/24
22/23
21/22
20/21
Given that Abraham has yet to displace his countryman, there may be a chance for someone to rise up and prove themselves capable of starring as Emery's centre-forward, with one teenage prospect in line to do exactly that.
Aston Villa's new Jhon Duran
Duran was a bona fide maverick at Villa Park. The prodigious striker scored goals for fun - quite literally. He delighted in controlling the chaos in the final third to star as the ultimate Super Sub for Emery's side, but the financial pull of the Saudi Pro League convinced him to place his sporting ambitions on hold, and his career has since hit a snag.
It's not Aston Villa's problem, in truth, and given that they have signed a new version of the Colombian in Brian Madjo, there's plenty of cause for optimism as Watkins seemingly starts to slow down.
The 17-year-old is one of the most exciting young attackers in England, and he joined in a deal worth more than £10m in January from Ligue 1 side Metz.
You haven't heard anything regarding Madjo since the start of the calendar year, and this is because of a protracted hold-up in relation to registration. The wait will be worth it, though. Already standing at 6 foot 2 and with monstrous potential as a focal frontman for a team like Villa, already described football scout Antonio Mango as a “beast”.
There's no question that this is a young and untested prospect, but Duran was also a career fledgling when he joined the club from Colorado Rapids, and Madjo's profile does suggest that Emery has moved to repeat a trick there.
jhon duran PL stats (timeless)
With an aptitude for the physical side of football and a hunger for so many goals, this young man could certainly prove the perfect Watkins upgrade down the line, the next Duran.
However, as he continues to develop over the next few years, maybe it would be worth keeping Watkins at the club for the foreseeable.
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