Better scoring rate than Haaland – Jhon Durán’s form validating Aston Villa transfer decision

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‘Rejected 40 offers’ 

Jhon Durán continued his remarkable goal scoring form for Aston Villa this season with another goal from the bench in their 3-1 win over Wolves. Ole Gunnar Solskjær earned his reputation as the ultimate impact player from the bench across his career at Manchester United but Durán indisputably holds that mantle at this moment in time.

With his goal against Wolves, Durán took his tally for the season to four goals with all of them arriving as a substitute. The Colombian international has netted winners from the bench against West Ham, Leicester City and Everton and he’s closing in on the most Premier League winning goals by substitutes, which currently sits at five. After a summer of speculation surrounding his future, Durán has proved his importance for Villa as they aim to replicate last season’s success under Unai Emery and he’s currently one of the most feared marksmen in the league – you can watch our special video feature on Duran below!

Durán has become Emery’s not so secret weapon from the bench this season and he’s applying pressure on Ollie Watkins for a starting berth. Watkins scored 27 goals and provided 13 assists last season and he’s already registered five goal contributions in 2024/25. Therefore, it will be difficult for Durán to displace Watkins as Villa’s number nine but he’s certainly making a strong case for the jersey. 

 The Colombian’s four goals in the Premier League this season have arrived in just 131 minutes. As the graphic above illustrates, Durán is averaging a goal every 34’ minutes in the league which is the best record in the league for players with a minimum of two goals. Erling Haaland has netted 10 league goals in just five games but Durán’s minutes per goal record is superior to the Norwegian superstar. When you compare Duran’s record to players across the top leagues, only Albert Gudmundsson of Fiorentina has a better record (23 mins per goal).

 Durán’s stunning goalscoring form is justifying Villa’s decision to retain the striker this summer despite considerable interest from several clubs. West Ham looked destined to sign Durán before a deal collapsed while Chelsea also expressed serious interest. Damian Vidagany, Villa’s director of football operations, claimed the Midlands clubs rebuffed 40 offers for Durán as he revealed Emery’s belief that the striker can become world-class.“Unai is very confident with Jhon Duran,” Vidagany stated last month. “Very confident. He thinks he can become one of the best strikers in the world in the next 12 months.