It looked as though Aston Villa were close to moving on Jhon Duran during the January transfer window, as Chelsea were showing keen interest in luring him to London.
The young Colombian suffered an injury during a cameo against Everton and this scuppered any chance of him leaving Villa.
With Morgan Rogers joining the club, does Duran have a future at Villa Park? There could be promising young talents in the academy who could step up and become a long-term heir for Ollie Watkins.
Ollie Watkins’ record this season
The reason Duran failed to make much of an impression prior to his injury was his inability to displace Watkins from the starting XI.
The Englishman has scored 16 goals and grabbed 12 assists in 33 matches across all competitions during 2023/24 as he has emerged as one of the best forwards in the country.
Unai Emery has given him much more confidence and freedom, but with this type of form, surely the big boys will come calling sooner rather than later.
The Spaniard must be thinking of a contingency plan should Watkins depart the Midlands in the near future and while money will likely be spent in the transfer window to secure a replacement, there is a teenage sensation ready to make an impact in the senior squad before too long – Rory Wilson.
Rory Wilson’s youth statistics
The 18-year-old moved south to join Villa in the summer of 2022 following a spell at Glasgow Rangers where he established himself as one of the best in his age group.
Indeed, during his final season in Scotland, Wilson netted a staggering 49 goals for both club and country, and it’s safe to say he has carried on with this prolific form since arriving.
Journalist Jonty Colman lauded the youngster as a “goal machine” following his exit from Ibrox and during his debut campaign at Villa, he scored 15 goals – including four in the Premier League 2 – and this gave him a solid foundation to build on ahead of this term.
In just 11 U18 Premier League games, Wilson has scored 16 goals, a simply stunning return, and he does not look like he is ready to slow down either.
Remarkably, the youngster made his Scotland U21 debut aged just 16, and it clearly shows how highly thought of he is among the national team hierarchy.
Scotland’s youth coach James Grady even claimed that the 18-year-old is “obsessed with being the best” and this sort of attitude will surely stand him in good stead as he looks to make a breakthrough into the senior setup at Villa.
With the club playing in the Europa Conference League knockout stages next month, this could be an opportunity for Wilson to perhaps make the bench and even secure some minutes if the club are winning heavily.
Whatever happens, Watkins won’t be at Villa forever and plans will be in place to secure a replacement. Wilson may not be ready right now, but if he keeps scoring at his current rate, the former Gers frontman will be hard to ignore.
