Aston Villa must rue losing £22m flop who’s now outscoring Duran & Watkins

Aston Villa kept to their label as being an entertaining watch this mid-week in the Champions League, having beaten RB Leipzig 3-2 in a thrilling contest in Germany.

Away from starring on Europe’s biggest stage, Unai Emery’s men also boast 23 goals scored from 15 Premier League clashes, as the Villa Park masses often lap up the exhilarating action on display.

Morgan Rogers has been one notable player that has got supporters out of their seats this season, alongside the continued exploits of Jhon Duran and Ollie Watkins up top, who regularly share the goal load for the Villans.

Duran & Watkins’ form this season

Duran has remarkably got ten goals next to his name this campaign from very limited starts, which included him scoring a sumptuous strike last match versus RB Leipzig when unleashed onto the Red Bull Arena turf.

Just eight minutes after being introduced, the potent Colombian would hammer home this fierce effort past a hapless Peter Gulacsi, as the away fans inside Leipzig’s stadium went barmy off the back of such a sweet strike rippling the back of the net.

Watkins wouldn’t add to those cheers unfortunately as a strike passed him by on Tuesday night, but the 28-year-old has been clinical at points for his team back in the bread and butter of the Premier League, with seven goals fired home from 15 appearances.

That has bumped Watkins’ overall total for the West Midlands titans to a stunning 77 goals, with his consistency in front of goal leading to Duran usually being left out of the main XI for the former Brentford star to lead the line.

Not every purchase into the building in attack has gone to be a rip-roaring success, however, with this former flop really struggling throughout his cursed stay at Villa Park.

Wesley’s career since leaving Villa

The dud in question here is Wesley, who cost Villa an extortionate £22m back in 2019 from Club Brugge, with many left hoping that the new Brazilian recruit could be their next Christian Benteke.

After all, Benteke would go on to net 49 goals for the Villans from 101 games after also once plying his trade in Belgium, but Wesley would get nowhere near that bumper amount himself during a rotten stint in England.

He would initially bed in well with four goals registered in the Premier League from eight games, which included this composed finish beating Jordan Pickford to open his Villa account, but a serious anterior cruciate ligament injury picked up during his debut season would end up killing his career at Villa Park.

Past those wretched injury demons, Wesley would only be fit to play another four times in the West Midlands to score another two strikes, which would lead to his sad permanent departure in 2023 to Stoke City, leaving the club on a free transfer.

Although he would never get off the mark for the Potters, Wesley has managed to breathe life back into his playing days in Turkey for Fatih Karagümrük, where he has now transformed himself into a feared goal machine.

Amazingly – although it is in the Turkish second division – the South American has managed to better both Duran and Watkins in terms of goals scored in league action, with an impressive 12 league goals from just 15 contests.

He must play over his brief Villa career in his head and wonder what could have been if it wasn’t for extended periods in the treatment room, with the 28-year-old at least content that he’s back to his best years on from this ordeal.

Whilst Wesley continues to fire in goal after goal, Duran and Watkins will hope they can do similar under Emery, as a hectic list of fixtures awaits the Villans deep into December.