West Ham summer transfer target Jhon Duran scored his 6th goal in 9 games for Aston Villa against Bayern Munich on Wednesday night.
The Colombian international is averaging a goal every 49.5 minutes since the start of the 2024/25 season leaving many Hammers’ supporters wondering what might have been.
Julen Lopetegui’s side and Chelsea tried to buy Duran but both deals collapsed over the transfer fee. Fans on X have been debating who is to blame for failing to sign the striker:
Complete disaster, he was the perfect striker for us
— Dylan (@dylzwheelzz) October 2, 2024
Its all on Sullivan
— AKKI 🛠 (@Mike_Akki) October 2, 2024
Steiden 🤦♂️
— Jamie George-Spence (@JamieGeorgeSpe1) October 2, 2024
We could have had Emery too…. We never make the right decisions do we 🙄
— Brian Hall (@CockneyBri) October 2, 2024
sullivan refuse to give the extra 5M so yes he need to be sacked
— ⚒️antho krays⚒️ (@krays2208) October 2, 2024
Duran simply cost too much
It is believed that Aston Villa were demanding around £50m for the 20-year-old. Even though he is regarded as backup to Ollie Watkins, the club were aware of his potential.
When West Ham reportedly offered £30m plus Lewis Orford for Duran in July, the bid was rejected out of hand. There was too big a gap in the two clubs’ valuations of the player.
Will West Ham live to regret the decision?
Based on Duran’s current form, it seems Villa were correct to hold out for their asking price. The Midlands club may even be able to demand more money in a future transfer window.
Some may feel that the Hammers should have bit the bullet and spent the extra money. If Niclas Fullkrug can get in the goals when he returns from injury, though, the failure to land Duran won’t look quite as bad.
Find out who is in West Ham’s first-team squad for the 2024/2025 season here
