Jamie Carragher explains why Aston Villa should sell £85m Arsenal and West Ham transfer target

Jamie Carragher says Aston Villa should look to offload Jhon Duran and use the money they receive to strengthen Unai Emery’s squad in other areas.

Duran has established himself as one of the most sought-after young strikers in Premier League football over the last two-and-a-half seasons, racking up 20 goals in all competitions for Villa.

But the 21-year-old attacker has been forced to play second fiddle to Ollie Watkins for the most part and has so far made just four starts under Emery in the top flight this term.

West Ham were credited with a strong interest in Duran across the summer transfer window and are understood to have seen a £57m rejected out of hand by the Villains this month.

The Hammers are reportedly facing competition from the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid for Duran, with the Saudi Pro League also believed to be eyeing a sensational deal for the Colombia international.

But Emery has made it clear he wishes to keep hold of Duran beyond the January transfer deadline and the forward has repeatedly gone on record claiming he is ‘happy’ at Villa Park.

Speaking on Sky Sports ahead of Villa’s clash with West Ham, though, Carragher argued a move for Duran may actually make sense for all parties.

‘I’d sell Jhon Duran. It probably goes against the grain of what most clubs would do because, normally in that situation, you probably sell the older one, Ollie Watkins as you’d probably think, “This guy is going to here a long time”,’ the ex-Liverpool and England defender said.

‘But I’d try and get an extra £10m out of him. He looks a great player.

‘When people talk about big squads, sometimes players also need to know they’re playing.

‘You always remember how Tottenham could never find a striker when they had Harry Kane because what striker, what good striker, is going to wait for Harry Kane.

‘I don’t think you’re quite getting the best out of Ollie Watkins, knowing that Jhon Duran is going to come on with 15 to 20 minutes to go every single game.

‘But he has to bring him on with 15 to 20 minutes to go because otherwise he’s going to be unhappy.’

Carragher believes the ‘dynamic isn’t going to work’ if Emery continues to replace Watkins for Duran in the second half of matches.

‘I just think sometimes you can have players who are almost too good in the same position,’ he added.

‘One player needs to know he is the man and I think that is Ollie Watkins, for me.

‘I think you could get good money for Duran and it’s not like Ollie Watkins is finished, he’s still got another three or four years at this level.

‘I know Villa fans might say, “No, he’s a great young striker!”, but I just think the dynamic isn’t going to work. They can’t play together. Get your £60 to 70m and go and reinvest it somewhere else.’

Carragher went on: ‘If he doesn’t make himself the No.9 or the number-one centre-forward by the end of the season, he’s going to want to leave in the summer.

‘He’s not going to want to start next season on the bench again so they’ve basically got six months to decide which one goes.’

Jamie Redknapp, meanwhile, claimed Duran’s very presence in Villa’s squad was likely making Watkins ‘uneasy’.

‘He’s got quality, there is absolutely no doubt, and it’s a tough predicament because centre–forwards are a valuable commodity right now,’ the former Liverpool and Tottenham midfielder said.

‘They’re so hard to find. Arsenal are looking for one and Tottenham are certainly looking for one as well. They’ve got injuries and they’ll be looking at where a No.9 could be.

‘They are so hard to find so do you really want to sell him? But I totally take Jamie’s point because you’ve got a situation where he’s probably making it uneasy for Watkins.

‘Most of the centre-forwards I played with wanted to be starting. They don’t want to be thinking, “Am I going to be coming off?”, because they’ll be thinking that’s the optimum point when you can get your goals.

‘It’s not really working at the moment, having the both of them, but I see it’s such a difficult dilemma for the club.’

For more stories like this, check our sport page.

Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.