Aston Villa transfer update: Duran and Watkins latest with Matt Maher
Category
🥇
SportsTranscript
00:00Hello, I'm Nathan Judah. Delighted to be joined by Aston Villa reporter is Mr. Matt
00:07Mayer. Matt, a massive night of Champions League action and a fantastic result 4-2 win
00:12against Celtic. Aston Villa finishing in the top eight in the Champions League. But it
00:17was before the game and also during the game that everybody was talking about two strikers,
00:22one who's had a medical today, a bid rejected by Aston Villa for the star striker Ollie
00:28Watkins at the start of the week. What's going on? Yeah, it was pretty surreal, wasn't
00:32it really? I can't think of another club that have played such a big game in the Champions
00:37League where both of their strikers have been the centre of, you know, major transfer speculation
00:42in the hours leading up to the game. And then at the start of the game, I mean, you know,
00:47the ball was literally flying in the net for the second goal inside five minutes and Morgan
00:51Rodgers when it emerges that John Duran is going to have a medical, you know, or was
00:56going to have a medical, which had it now, ahead of a move to Saudi Arabia. So, yeah,
01:01it was a pretty frantic evening all round. And I'm pleased that the game was good enough
01:08in many ways that it kind of took some of the attention away from what was happening
01:12off the pitch. Because I think the frustrations were kind of starting to build before the
01:17game. That was just in the press room. But among supporters as well, because I think,
01:22you know, this is the second time in a week that Villa have been preparing for a big Champions
01:25League game. They've been talking about one of their star players, obviously Duran last
01:30week, Watkins this week for the fifth from Arsenal. But it's Duran who's going. And as
01:37much as it is, I suppose, disappointing in some ways, because he's been, you know, one
01:41of the stars of the season, scored some fantastic goals that are going to live, you know, long
01:47in the memory. I mean, he's written himself at the club folklore, hasn't he, with a goal
01:50against Bayern Munich. But at the same time, I don't think it's massively surprising that
01:55he's been the man to go and not Watkins.
01:59Is it surprising that any of them have gone, though, Matt? I mean, you know, I know they've
02:02brought in a forward, but, you know, such a talent, such a young age to go to Saudi
02:09Arabia. I say it seems a strange move. The money is obviously there and that's a huge
02:14determining factor. But, you know, there was talks of West Ham being quite close to that
02:18fee and him wanting to stay in England. So is this just a case of the highest bidders won?
02:22Well, one thing Villa would dispute in the highest possible terms that the West Ham bid
02:27was anywhere near what was reported last week. There was a fair amount of anger about that.
02:33And I don't, you know, they are saying it was nowhere near 57 million. Obviously, this
02:39bid, you know, 65 million, potentially rising to 75 with the add-ons. But he's two former
02:46clubs, Chicago Fire and his club in Columbia. Their name, I've just written it in the last
02:54half an hour, now escapes me. They're going to get a portion of the fee, but it's still
02:57a massive profit for Villa on a player they signed for 18 million, what, two years ago.
03:02I don't think, I think it's, I think it's surprising. It's surprising in some respects,
03:07but in others, not really. I mean, look, this is the third straight transfer window where
03:11there has been speculation over John Duran's future. Villa would have been happy to let
03:16him go, at least on loan, last January. You know, in the summer, we know he was very close
03:23to going to West Ham. They weren't too far away. He didn't go. He stayed. He had a fantastic
03:28first half of the season. But it's just always felt that, you know, every transfer window,
03:35there is kind of noise around John Duran. And I think eventually, you know, there comes a tipping
03:42point, doesn't there, where, you know, look, he's clearly a supremely talented young man,
03:48but he's far from the finished article. And, you know, at what point do you say, look, I'm not sure,
03:54you know, we can get him much further on the line. Is he more, is having him at the club
03:59more trouble than it's worth? Because, you know, Ollie Watkins, you know, arguably has perhaps
04:07struggled with Duran, you know, kind of giving him serious competition this season
04:13in some respects. And I just think that, you know, there was a striker. I mean, we're both fans of
04:19American sport, aren't we? But, you know, you call it a quarterback controversy in the NFL,
04:23wouldn't you? There was kind of a striker controversy at Villa. And we know, you know,
04:28Ollie Watkins likes being the main man. He likes being, you know, he's quite happy to have the
04:33burden on his shoulders. You know, there's an element of history repeating itself here, where
04:37two years ago, you know, Henry sold Danny Ings in his first transfer window at the club. And both,
04:42he said to Ollie Watkins, you are my man, you know, it's all on you. And Watkins responded
04:47by scoring about 12 or 13 goals in the second half of the season. And I think, you know,
04:52they were quite comfortable on putting the burden on Watkins. He's got an incredible injury
04:58record. He's robust. He's never injured. He's a dependable source of goals. And I think Duran,
05:05as much as he is, you know, an incredible talent, if he doesn't score goals,
05:10he doesn't really give you much else. You know, in two years, the other week,
05:18the game against Manchester City was the first real complete performance you'd seen from him.
05:21And that felt the start of something. In retrospect, it was probably the end, you know,
05:27but it's one complete performance in two years. They were always likely to back Watkins if a bid
05:33came in for Duran. I actually think they were probably expecting a bit more in terms of the
05:39interest in Duran this January. I think they thought there was going to be a bit of a bidding
05:46war, which has not really happened. Let's say that, you know, you're going to Saudi where,
05:53you know, they've got big money and, you know, prepared to spend it. But I think Villa were
05:58perhaps thinking, well, look, they were always open to this idea that, you know, if a big bid
06:05came in for Duran, they'd consider it without wishing to go on too long. I think it's interesting
06:12that if Arsenal had bid for Watkins earlier in the window, what would have happened?
06:17That might have prompted a different decision. But the thing is, the benefits with this are,
06:26which also happened last summer, when they had to, you know, race into selling Douglas
06:31Louise in June to avoid a PSR breach. That basically takes that off the table. You know,
06:37this solves, you know, PSR issues in one big swoop. And they've nearly bought, with all the
06:44sales this month, they've nearly bought in 100 million. And it's going to give them a bit more
06:49scope to strengthen over the final days of the window as well. Yeah. Enrigado, I think is that
06:54club. Enrigado, yeah. I'm probably mispronounced it. I mean, look, it wasn't the easiest play to
07:01deal with either, was it, John Duran? I know that... I was hoping last night that he might
07:06finally give us an interview in the mix. I did say it would be typical John Duran,
07:12if he suddenly walked in and started speaking perfect English, you know.
07:16Yeah, of course, absolutely.
07:17He's been telling us for two years. But yeah, look, I think it's, look, it's well reported.
07:21It's well known. It wasn't the easiest player to manage. I think, you know, there was a feeling
07:27earlier in the season that the penny had dropped. And certainly it did seem to have dropped for a
07:32few weeks. And you could see that he started to become a bit more of a team player than this
07:37complete, you know, Enigma firework that he had been for the first 18 months. But I think that,
07:46you know, it just, you know, every transfer window, you know, there was noise around him.
07:52I think if he hadn't gone this window, he'd have gone in the summer.
07:54Sure.
07:55You know, I just think he was always, you know, a lot of interest. You know, he wants to be loved.
08:01You know, he thinks everybody loves him. And of course they do, because he's a,
08:05you know, 21 year old.
08:05He's an infectious player.
08:07Potentially with the world at his feet. But, you know, it's, you need, you don't,
08:11you need more than just the talent. You know, you need to have the mindset as well. I mean,
08:16Watkins, you've got that. You know, you've got that. You know, this guy is, can handle it,
08:21can handle the pressure. He delivers, you know, he has mad spells, but he always comes out of them.
08:26And I think, you know, it was a, you know, as much as Durant's been incredible in many respects
08:34this year, I think Watkins is always the, you know, as Emery said last night, he's our striker,
08:39you know, and he's his striker. Whether that changes in the summer, I don't know,
08:45but you've got more time in the summer. And I think, you know, January, I mean,
08:50a lot of talk last night, I mean, I'm getting on the tangent here, but watch match of the day with
08:55Stephen Warnock after I got back in front of the game. And there was a, there was a,
09:00the bid for Watkins, 60 million, which now believe was actually not quite nowhere near that.
09:07There's a big bid, but it wasn't 60 million from Arsenal. I think Stephen Warnock said something,
09:12well, you know, 60 million for a 29 year old. Well, but Ollie Watkins is, he's not Harry Kane
09:1829. He's still, as he's proved last night, again, so he's still very quick. He's not lost any pace.
09:24And really it annoys me slightly because I do think there's this element of the game now of
09:30getting the money now. Oh, you know, you've got, you know, you've got, you know, he's valuable
09:34only decreased. Well, the fact is if Ollie Watkins starts another three or four years
09:38and scores another 70 goals, that's going to be worth 60 million. You know? So, um, yeah, I think,
09:47yeah, I think that, you know, it's, it makes, they've taken a logical decision really.
09:53You're right in what you say though, Matt. Like if that, if that Watkins bid had come first and
09:56come very early in the window and you do look at his age, you do look at what he's done. It might
10:00be a different story, mate. I think Arsenal left it too late. I mean, you know, who knows what's
10:07going on down there with, you know, but, uh, they're clearly in need of a, you know, a strike
10:11when they haven't got money in. Uh, but it does feel like they left it, you know, the bid didn't
10:15come in yet. And yesterday it came in, uh, Monday, I believe. So there was a bit of time
10:21or a few days before it was a bit of time for Villa to digest it. They weren't happy at the time,
10:25at the time that it kind of became public knowledge. But, but at the same time, um,
10:32you know, uh, yeah, I just feel like Arsenal left it, left it too late really. And once Villa were,
10:38you know, Duran was kind of on his way out, um, Villa weren't about to change their minds.
10:44Um, no, absolutely. Um, right. That's, uh, John Duran almost very, very nearly signed,
10:51sealed and delivered to Saudi Arabia and Olly Watkins will be taking the field. And I'm sure
10:55starting, um, as Aston Villa traveled to Wolverhampton Wanderers at five 30.
11:04We'll see you all very, very soon.