Jhon Duran signs new Aston Villa deal: Colombia striker rewarded for exciting start to the season | Football news

Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran has signed a new contract with the club after his blistering start to the season in the Premier League and Champions League.

The 20-year-old was on the verge of leaving Villa Park this summer after agreeing personal terms with West Ham, but after staying in the Midlands he has scored six times in all competitions despite starting just once this season.

The Colombian international was already under contract until 2028, while the terms of his new contract have not been announced.

His goals include wins over Everton and West Ham in the Premier League, and the only goal in Villa’s famous 1-0 win over Bayern Munich last week.

Duran has only played eleven games for the club in the almost two years since joining from Chicago Fire in January 2023, but has scored fourteen goals in that time, ten of which came from the bench.

Analysis: Duran’s success has gone from surprise to expected

Ron Walker from Sky Sports:

“It says a lot that no one was surprised when Jhon Duran came off the bench to score a stunning goal and achieve Aston Villa’s biggest European result in a generation last week.

There was poetry in beating Bayern Munich, the same team they toppled to win the European Cup 42 years ago. In another way, it was poetic that Duran would be the man to score the winner.

“It was only the 20-year-old’s 14th goal for the club. He almost left for West Ham this summer – and no one would have felt that Villa had made a big mistake if he had done so.”

“But since then he has become one of the Premier League’s best substitutes of all time. He has scored three winners this season, against Everton, West Ham and Bayern, playing less than half an hour against each.”

“Villa beat competition from across Europe to sign him in January 2023, and this season we see why.

“It shows just how big a turnaround he has been: despite having almost four years left on his current contract, he has gone from leaving the club to signing a new contract in just six weeks. “