‘Maybe we have to sell some players’ – will Watkins or Duran leave Villa?

With the signings of Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins on the horizon for the transfer deadline, Aston Villa must make their own decisions.

After Arsenal approached Villa for the England international player but their approach was rejected, according to manager Unai Emery, who has stated that Duran is reportedly scheduled for a medical with Saudi side Al-Nasr.

Watkins scored and missed a penalty in Wednesday’s 4-2 Champions League win over Celtic, shrugging off the intense pre-game speculation.

Afterwards, Emery said: “I don’t want]to sell]. I’m pleased to have offers from other clubs. Through the players in the squad, we want to keep our sporting goal.

Every player can enter the market if the outcome benefits both the player and the club. To get this deal we are going to be demanding. Watkins is our striker. “

He had no idea about Duran, who has been linked with a summer move from Villa Park.

” If he is leaving it’s because he wants]to]. I promised to bring him here last week. After West Ham match I told you I want him here, “said Emery.

” We are different people, different objectives.

“The club is functioning, and we must be market-savvy. We want to keep our structure because we want to keep the level high, and we may need to sell some players until everything is finished, but if Jhon Duran leaves, it will be good for us because it’s good money.

” I don’t know if Duran will leave or not. We must respect it, but I want to keep him here. We want to keep our best players, which is good news because we have offers from other clubs.

Chris Sutton, a former Blackburn and Celtic striker, stated on BBC Radio 5 Live that “Villa is important to keep hold of Ollie Watkins and Jhon Duran.” If one of them goes… I’m aware of how well they have combined when one comes on for another in a game or when they haven’t played well together.

I don’t believe Unai Emery will want to leave Aston Villa or go as far as he can in this competition and the Premier League, and he will also want to continue building the club.

Villa made a profit of £300, 000 in their 2021-22 accounts, helped by the sale of England midfielder Jack Grealish to Manchester City for £100m.

However, that will prevent clubs from losing more than £105 million over a three-year period under the next profit and sustainability (PSR) accounting period.

Villa’s accounts were down £119.6 million as of May 31st, 2023, but the balance sheet will benefit as Champions League revenue is being taken into account in 2024 and 2025.

In order to avoid losing points, they ultimately sold Douglas Luiz to Juventus for £42 million.

” We found ourselves in a situation where we had make an important profit to avoid being in breach with the PSR, “said Damian Vidagany, Villa’s director of football operations, in September”. It was very challenging.

Everyone was cheering and savoring the Champions League, but Villa’s president of football operations, Monchi, and I were at the party to discuss ways to prevent a points deduction that would have ruinated a fantastic season.

The Gunners need a striker, it is a known fact.

The Gunners’ top scorer is Kai Havertz, who has been transformed into an out-and-out forward since joining the team and has done a commendable job in that capacity while Gabriel Jesus is out with an injury.

However, his tally of eight goals is only the joint-12th highest in the Premier League this season.

Raheem Sterling was acquired by the Gunners from Chelsea in the summer. The Manchester City forward scored 20 Premier League goals between 2019 and 20 respectively, but his overall average has fallen since then, and he hasn’t scored in eight appearances so far this season.

Since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in 2019-20, Arsenal hasn’t had a striker who has scored 20 goals or more in the Premier League.

Watkins hasn’t been at his best this season, only scoring twice as many Premier League goals as Havertz this year, but he has consistently exceeded double figures since joining Villa.

Watkins scores a respectable amount of goals, and he is only one of three Premier League players to have recorded 100 or more goals involvements since joining Villa in 2019-20.

Mikel Arteta, the manager of the Gunners, said: “I have no doubt about signing a player because we have an amazing club with people always working to improve after Wednesday’s Champions League win against Girona.” Let’s see what happens. “

Watkins is a young Gunners fan, and he has previously stated that it is his “dream job” to play for the club one day, which is advantageous for Arsenal.

Speaking to the Sports Gazette at the 2020 London Football Awards, he said:” That’s the dream, to play for Arsenal one day. But, you know, it’s a long shot.

“I’m an Arsenal fan so Thierry Henry was my]idol] he’s unbelievable to watch”.

Money talks, ex- Aston Villa defender Stephen Warnock said on BBC Match of the Day. You could witness some wheeling and dealing if Arsenal raised their bid.

” I don’t think you would want to lose Watkins. He is the focal point of attack. But will you ever receive that much money for a 29-year-old?

Duran has scored some important goals in his Premier League debut season.

The 21-year-old has scored 12 goals in all competitions so far this season, earning a reputation as a “super sub” for his off-the-shelf goalscoring prowess, especially at the start of the season.

After starting for Bayern Munich in their second Champions League game as a substitute, he particularly caught the attention when he scored the winner.

In the summer though he courted controversy. According to reports, he had reportedly agreed to personal terms with West Ham, and he crossed his arms to imitate the Irons logo on live social media.

Before turning 21, he would have had to make a third transfer. Villa, however, did not purchase him.

After a £57 million bid was rejected, Duran’s future appeared to be looming for him once more earlier this month.

“The idea of parting with a 21-year-old talent with immense potential feels short-sighted”, says Villa fan David Michael.