Aston Villa got back to winning ways with their 3-0 win against already relegated Southampton in the Premier League, having lost 3-1 at the Parc des Princes during the week in the Champions League.
Unai Emery’s side struggled to find the breakthrough against the Saints, with Ollie Watkins finding the net after 73 minutes, which opened the floodgates, as Donyell Malen and John McGinn added a second and third despite Marco Asensio’s duo of missed penalties.
It was a deserved victory for the Villans, keeping 60% possession, generating 3.03 xG in the match, creating six big chances and taking 25 shots.
But, Villa’s January window continues to steal the headlines, as their business during this period seems to have paid off in dividends, providing Emery with the necessary reinforcement to finish the season strong.
Indeed, it’s ensured that Jhon Duran hasn’t been missed in Villa colours…
How Duran is performing in Saudi Arabia
Jhon Duran was sold in the January window, as the 21-year-old striker joined Al Nassr for a fee of around £65m.
Duran made 78 appearances in his time at Villa, netting 20 goals, providing one assist and totaling 2,275 minutes played.
The young forward made a name for himself, coming from the bench to devastating effect, scoring four goals in the opening five Premier League games of the season, all of which came from the bench in just 131 minutes.
Since surprisingly departing, he has been on fire in Saudi, scoring seven goals in 11 games for his new outfit.
Back in the Midlands, many expected the signing of Marcus Rashford to fill the void of the Colombian’s goals, but as good as he’s been, Villa managed to pick up another super sub in the winter transfer window, who’s taken to Duran’s role like a duck to water.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Emery's new Jhon Duran
Alongside the huge loan signings of Rashford and Marco Asensio in January, Villa also made a permanent signing to their attacking line, signing Donyell Malen from Borussia Dortmund for a fee of around £19m with £2.5m in add-ons.
Since joining the club, it’s been a topsy turvy period for the 26-year-old who was disappointingly omitted from the club’s Champions League squad list for the knock-out stages.
Despite that setback, he has caught the eye across his 11 appearances for the Villans, netting three times in 340 minutes played. Malen can play all across the front line, on both wings and as a centre-forward, something he has already shown under Emery since arriving.
Minutes
24
Goals
1
Touches
13
Accurate Passes
6/7
Key Passes
1
Shots Total
1
Ground Duels Won
1/2
And over the weekend, Malen netted another goal coming from the bench – his second in recent weeks – playing just 24 minutes against Southampton, taking one shot and converting it into a goal for his side.
The Dutch forward only had 13 touches in the match, making six of his seven passes but made his most important touch count in front of the goal, much like Duran often did.
Having an effective player to come from the bench with fresh legs is something that worked well for Emery earlier in the season with Duran, and having a player like Malen who can do this, but also play in multiple positions across the front line gives Emery even more flexibility.
With Villa gaining £65m from the sale of Duran and bringing Malen in for nearly a third of that fee, it could be argued that as good as the former is at such a young age, the business wasn’t bad for the Midlands club, using the funds effectively to strengthen their squad.
Emery struck gold on Aston Villa star worth more than Doue & Kvaratskhelia
Aston Villa made a brilliant investment with this player
ByJoe NuttallApr 11, 2025
