February 12th 2025.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger recently expressed his surprise over Jhon Duran's sudden move from Aston Villa to Al-Nassr in the Saudi Pro League. The 21-year-old Colombian had been making a name for himself in English football with Villa, scoring 12 goals in the first half of the season despite playing second fiddle to Ollie Watkins.
Duran had been vocal about his frustration with a lack of regular playing time under former Villa manager Unai Emery, causing speculation about his future during the January transfer window. Top clubs like Barcelona and West Ham were interested, and even Arsenal reportedly made an approach for the young striker. However, Al-Nassr swooped in and secured his signature with a whopping £64million deal.
Since joining his new club, Duran has wasted no time in making an impact, becoming the first player to score twice on their Al-Nassr debut since the league's rebranding in 2008. Wenger, who was present at the game, enjoyed Duran's double in Al-Nassr's 3-0 win over Al-Fayha, but admitted that the decision to switch teams mid-season caught him by surprise.
Speaking during a visit to Al-Nassr this week, Wenger praised Duran as a young player and acknowledged his success at Aston Villa, where he was adored and loved. He also commended Al-Nassr for their good job in securing such a talented player from the Premier League during the season.
Wenger has been impressed by Al-Nassr's evolution in recent years, noting their successful signings of top players like Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mane, and Aymeric Laporte. As the current Chief of Global Football Development at FIFA, he believes that the club has all the ingredients for success, including great coaches, players, staff, and financial potential. However, he emphasizes that the key to success is making good decisions, which he believes Al-Nassr has been doing.
After scoring twice on his debut, Duran expressed his happiness at being able to learn from the best athlete in the world, five-time Ballon d'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo. He sees Ronaldo as the biggest star in football and is grateful for the opportunity to learn from him. He even compared scoring with Ronaldo to playing a career in FIFA, highlighting the magnitude of the experience for him.
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