West Ham slammed over latest Jhon Duran development at Aston Villa
Kris Boyd has slammed West Ham United for their decision to make a bid for Jhon Duran a day before Aston Villa’s Champions League encounter with Monaco.
The Irons have been chasing the signing of a striker since the start of the window and those needs were amplified even further when Niclas Fullkrug sustained an injury.
Duran was reported to be the focus of a bid from West Ham [David Ornstein], with Boyd slamming the Hammers for the timing of it.
Speaking on Sky Sports News [22 January, 10:13am], Boyd said: “I’ll be honest with you, I didn’t like West Ham [putting the bid] in the day before a big Champions League game for Aston Villa.
“There’s no way West Ham put that bid in without having communication with the people who look after Jhon Duran.
“They wouldn’t embarrass themselves by putting that out there, only for Jhon Duran to turn around and say ‘I’m not interested’.
“There’s obviously something in it. But for me, I wouldn’t be selling him now if I were Aston Villa. If he doesn’t become a regular in the next couple of seasons, then they have a decision to make.”
Jhon Duran to West Ham United seems unlikely
It is an absolute necessity that the Hammers sign a new forward this winter, but time is running out having now entered the third week of the transfer window.
However, any move for Villa’s Duran appears highly unlikely for several reasons, with the price tag perhaps set to be the biggest barrier.
Aside from that, the Colombian has contributed well to the season under Unai Emery and it doesn’t make much sense for Villa to sanction his exit, never mind this late in the window where there would be minimal opportunities to find a replacement.
If the Irons are to make anything of this season, it will hinge on their ability to sign a goalscoring forward and one that has some form of longevity to his career.
A failure to do that will undoubtedly have a pretty drastic effect on the remainder of a campaign in which a relegation battle is still not entirely out of the equation.
In other West Ham news, Sullivan has ‘no excuse’ to not buy a striker in the window after a mega-bid for Jhon Duran was rejected.
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