Jhon Duran’s impressive cameo against West Ham has undoubtedly heightened interest in the Colombian striker. His pace, directness, and ability to find the net have made him a coveted asset in the transfer market.
While Aston Villa are reluctant to let Duran leave, West Ham’s need for attacking reinforcements is evident. The Hammers’ current options in the striker position lack the same level of pace and directness that Duran possesses.
West Ham are desperately trying to offload two or three players as they seek further additions.
If they are able to do that, then a loan with obligation closer to Villa’s asking price may well be launched for Duran before August 30th.
If West Ham can successfully negotiate a deal with Aston Villa, Duran could become a key player for the club. His ability to stretch defences and create chances would add a new dimension to the team’s attacking play.
However, the Hammers face competition from other clubs, and the high asking price set by Aston Villa may prove to be a stumbling block. Ultimately, the decision to pursue Duran will depend on West Ham’s ability to offload players and generate funds for new signings.
Doubt it now
Absolutely no chance Villa sell him for £40 million now
That ship has well and truly sailed.
No worries, we’ve got Danny Ings! 😂
Why we signed some slow 31 year old on a 4 year deal rather than pay the extra Villa wanted for this fella I’ll never know.
It’s a proper West Ham thing to do.
No chance we get him now. We just seem to love @@@@@@ our cash on the wrong centre forward. What is it 50 odd signed under the current owners? Still at least they got to save £5m or whatever the difference was between ours and Villa’s valuation.
Spot on.
I don’t wish to start a panic amongst fellow Hammers fans but l would rather have most of the other PL managers in charge of the club after watching some of the current manager’s decision making lately. We should have lost yesterday’s match by at least three or four goals!
Don’t worry, we can try better to achieve that next game! 😂
Duran was impressive yesterday, in a cameo. But he has been inconsistent in the past. One showing (actually one goal) doesn’t resolve those doubts. He also is meant to a difficult character to manage. While Villa will be happy with the three points and his performance he will want to be a starter something that while Ollie Watkins breathes is unlikely. Also according to one of the main contributors on this site we have ‘overspent’ and there is no money left. Ideas that we only needed to spend five million more for Duran seem wishful thinking. While the Fullkrug fee was undisclosed figures in the low twenties are often mentioned. Villa wanted more money for Duran than West Ham were offering but they were looking for nearer to forty, with likely add on fees and maybe sell on clauses. Five million is strange math. Duran cost us a point yesterday. Was not signing him a sliding doors moment? A major error by West Ham management? Far too early to come to that conclusion.
Yes massively sliding doors moment.
And to pivot from him to the German Ings made absolutely no sense. Completely different profiles of player. Surely you go to someone similar in profile even if you decide your primary target isn’t within budget or whatever.
The German Ings? You came to the on the conclusion of a subs appearance in one PL game? What is this ‘similar in profile’ that you are talking about? Fullkrug ticks many of the boxes that we need, in particular link up play in the final third. Much of the interest around Duran is his potential resale value IF he comes good. If Duran came to West Ham and had a good season and then Liverpool came knocking he’d be on tiktok singing ‘You’ll never walk alone’ in five minutes. Young Colombian kid from the barrios of Medellin with attitude problems? They manage you, not you manage them. As for finding a similar target within budget how many fast, direct, young strikers with potential sell on value are there out there for twenty million that everyone else has missed?
We have three centre forwards with a combined age of 97 and not a yard of pace between them.
Is Duran a bit of a **** who will likely cause problems when he wants to move on? Possibly, although I think his frustration is more around first team football than anything else. I like the fact that he really wanted to join us.
As a comparison I wouldn’t want to remove the likes of Payet and Arnautovic from our history just because of how they acted when they wanted a move. I enjoyed both while they were at the club even if it did end badly in those cases. In short it’s a gamble I’d be willing to take for the potential impact he could make whilst here. His supposed attitude issues didn’t prove so problematic that it stopped Villa from finishing top four did it?
I bet we’d make a tidy profit when moving him on also. As we will with Kudus and Paqueta next summer (should the latter avoid a ban). The key at that point is to have already scouted the replacements. We won’t make a penny on Fullkrug. The comparison to Ings is that I would wager within 2 seasons were in the same boat of struggling to shift him because for whatever reason he hasn’t quite worked out and he doesn’t wish to take a pay cut elsewhere. I sincerely hope I am wrong and will get behind him while he’s here, but it struck me as a strange bit of business. Almost desperate in fact.
The point I was making and what I’m struggling to get my head round is how you go from Duran to Fullkrug, couldnt get more different types of centre forward. Hadn’t we also been linked to the Atletico forward? Another option that could have been looked at since you asked for a suggestion of another player. Not sure why you’ve stuck a £20m caveat on it when we were clearly willing to spend more than that on Duran.
Go to Youtube. Look for the Four-two-four site. Look for the video on Fullkrug and how he fits at West Ham. It’s not a short watch, but it does explain who he is as a player. He might not be Duran, he certainly isn’t Ings and he is not Antonio. You think Fulkrug needs pace because you don’t have a clue what sort of player he is.
I have already watched it. Same as I watched one last year by the same fella (Adam Cleary) detailing why James Ward Prowse was supposedly the PERFECT player for West Ham.
Whilst I have nothing against JWP. Has that analysis actually lived up to the billing? I would suggest not.
So you’ll forgive me for not getting too over excited about another YouTube video which once again tells me why the latest signing is PERFECT for West Ham.
Duran has been on our radar for a couple of weeks and he scored against us now all of a sudden he’s our must have player! I doubt the powers that be see him any differently. He scored one goal against us and nothing against Liverpool! This panic we seem to endure every year is getting a little tedious, if Villa want to sell and we have the space and finances we are in a good position if neither of those are in place he will not be coming to West Ham. We had the chance and passed it up…..I’m sure if we wanted or needed him the deal will be done by the weekend if not let’s see how well he does in the league up until January and see if the valuation holds or he scores a hatful and they get more money. To think we could have had Ivan Toney for 9million decided against that and we’re told he could have him for 40 or 50 million…..let’s move on get behind the players we have any additions now are a bonus. Thomas Soucek is a more valuable player than many people think, in support of our front players he’s scoring 10-15 goals a season.
Tim Steidten’s job? Timely moving on of expensive players surplus to Julen Lopetegui’s needs. If we are to get players like Duran, then Tim has to concentrate on the departures of Danny Ings, Kurt Zouma and the others who are never going to add to the West Ham Way this season. I understand that Antonio and Cresswell are adequate back up players for their positions and replacements can be sourced for next season. Those that do not fulfill this need must leave to free up finance for today and the future.
Pull your finger out Tim !! Now.
COYI
THEY SHOULD HAVE PAYED THE MONEY INSTEAD OF BYING THE GERMAN PLAYER WHO WILL ONLY SLOW THE TEAM UP
Totally agree Taffy but just not sure how we will get rid of ings and Zouma without some sort of deal where we pay something like 50% of their last seasons wages upfront. Nobody will touch Zouma because he is crocked and likewise with ings he won’t want to move because nobody would be silly enough to shell out a fraction of his £125k per week.
You should take note of what Villa fans are still saying about this guy A loose canon, prone to sulking, on a knife-edge regarding being sent off, one good came and 10 completely awful – and this is fans who are still hoping he stays!
We don’t need a disruptive influence in the dressing room, something JLo has stressed. He wants harmony in there, not a sulking big-time charlie. Got one of them in Antonio.
We bought Fulkrug instead. surely we have to give him a go up front, else why did we buy him?
It’s a big mistake not to have signed Duran – a deal was there to be done! He’s the perfect replacement for Antonio, athletic, strong, fast and deadly – literally Antonio 2.0! Yes he’s young and it was a high price, but we paid £40M for Killman. which was also a high price! Duran knows where the goal is and he would have been a great long term investment. We’ve had a good transfer window and made some good signings but Duran would have been the icing on the cake for me! I hope we try to sign him before the window ends but it seems very unlikely now and our desperate search for a good striker seems never ending!
Unlike Antonio he actually has very good technical ability. He does have all the natural gifts alongside it that you’d ideally want in a centre forward such as athleticism, pace, height, strength, which I think is the basis for the Antonio comparison. But I think the comparison sells him short as he has the potential to be much better.
Wonder if Tim has any surprises up his sleeve for the last couple of weeks of the window? Or will it just be trying to shift the deadwood now?
I will say we need more pace up front, Soucek put with a midfielder that can pass someone that can and hold onto the ball , and LB not strong . That’s what is needed
‘Soucek put on the bench’ – Corrected it for you.
Everyone overreacting to 20 minutes of football, it didn’t make Duran worth 80mill, and it doesn’t make Fulkrug worthless. Basic defensive errors cost us the game although tbf Villa were the better side on the day.
Good article on Duran and the game on the Athletic. Beyond his performance includes some thought on some of is interactions with the crowd on Saturday and even, when coming on
‘ Duran ran straight towards West Ham’s Konstantinos Mavropanos and, slightly strangely, high-fived him.’
Quite what Mavropanos thought of that is unrecorded