Aston Villa manager Unai Emery said he does not want Ollie Watkins to leave the club amid interest from Arsenal, but said if Jhon Durán completes his move to Al Nassr then it is "good news" for the club as it shows they are doing the right things in terms of developing players.
Emery was speaking after Aston Villa secured their spot in the knockout stages of the Champions League following a 4-2 win over Celtic. A hat trick from Morgan Rogers and another from Watkins saw Villa take eighth place in the standings, and therefore avoid a playoff.
However, the evening was dominated by talk of Villa's two strikers.
Sources told ESPN just hours before kick-off that Arsenal had a bid rejected for Watkins, while The Athletic reported at the start of the match that Duran was set for a medical with Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr ahead of a move in the region of €77 million ($80m).
When asked about Arsenal's interest in Watkins, Emery said: "I don't want [him to leave]. We want to keep our sporting objective through the players we have in the squad. Every player can be in the market in case it's good for the player, club and team, but to get this deal, we have to be very demanding as well. Ollie Watkins is our striker."
Watkins impressed against Celtic, scoring what proved to be the winner in the 60th minute but then missed a penalty a minute later, as he lost his footing and ballooned the effort over the bar.
Ollie Watkins is subject to interest from Arsenal, while Jhon Duran looks set to leave Villa Park for Saudi Arabia.
Despite that setback, he was a frequent threat in front of goal and could've had another couple but for a pair of sensational saves from Kasper Schmeichel.
All the while Duran watched on from the bench. Duran was seen in the tunnel post-match seemingly saying goodbye to some staff and players.
When asked post-match about Duran's future, Emery said: "The club is working, we have to be intelligent and competitive. Of course, we are in the eyes of other strong teams and strong leagues and countries like Saudi Arabia.
"It is something I can feel proud of because we are improving and we are having players interested from other clubs and paying good money for us.
"Our objective here is to keep our structure intelligently, and [maintaining our level] for a long time is the most difficult challenge we have. Sometimes to do that, we have to sell players, but as well, trying to change those players with good players as well, trying to develop the players here and improving ours.
"I don't know exactly until everything is done if Jhon Duran is leaving or not. If he leaves, it's good news for us, because they are paying good money, because it's good for him, because as well, we have developed a young player in two years to get this offer.
"It's not only for the club, but it's for the players, and the team -- these circumstances can be positive. I don't know if he's leaving or not."
When asked if Duran had asked to leave, Emery said: "If he's leaving, it's because he wants to. I told you last week I wanted him here. But what does he want? We are all different people."
Emery added: "My opinion about him, he's a fantastic player, fantastic potential. I was close with him, trying to work with him in his development. They have their goals, ambitions and if he's leaving, it's because he wants to go another way in his career."
Interim boss Stephen Frail expects Motherwell to appoint a new manager next week and admits their first job will be to lift the players’ confidence after a 3-0 mauling at home to Ross County.A double from Ronan Hale and Connor Randall’s last-minute strike secured an impressive victory for the Staggies at Fir Park.Defeat sees the Steelmen drop into the bottom half of the Premiership tab...
Mark Hughes heaped praise on goalkeeper Gabe Breeze after Carlisle picked up a vital point in the League Two relegation battle with a goalless draw against in-form Colchester at Brunton Park.Breeze made two excellent saves from Lyle Taylor as the Cumbrians ended a four-game losing run and the former Man City boss was astounded by the 21-year-old’s performance.He said: “The game had som...
Chesterfield boss Paul Cook launched a scathing attack on his play-off hopefuls after they surrendered an early lead to lose 3-1 at Sky Bet League Two table-toppers Walsall.The Spireites enjoyed a rapid start when Jamie Grimes’ eighth-minute header put them ahead against a wobbling Walsall side, who were winless in five matches with the chasing pack closing in.However, Bim Pepple and Dylan D...
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has allayed fears of an injury scare to top scorer Erling Haaland ahead of next week’s Champions League trip to Real Madrid.Haaland went down clutching his leg in the latter stages of the champions’ 4-0 Premier League thrashing of Newcastle at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and was immediately substituted.Losing the Norwegian would be a major blow to ...
Rotherham manager Steve Evans described Thomas Parsons’ performance as “atrocious” after the referee awarded a stoppage-time penalty from which Reading snatched a 2-1 victory in League One.Reading had led 1-0 at half-time through top scorer Harvey Knibbs but Sam Nombe levelled for Rotherham from a spot-kick in the 57th minute.With the game heading for a draw, Parsons adjudged Mil...
Michael Flynn believes his team can make a charge towards the League Two play-offs places after watching them come from 2-0 down to beat Barrow 3-2 at home.Matty Taylor scored twice before fellow substitute Ashley Hay hit the winner as the Robins continued their perfect home record in 2025.Cheltenham climbed to 13th in the table and sit eight points off seventh-placed Crewe with two games in hand....
Birmingham manager Chris Davies praised Jay Stansfield’s work ethic after he lit up St Andrew’s with the only goal of a 1-0 win to sink play-off chasing Charlton.Stansfield’s 23rd-minute strike stretched City’s lead to nine points ahead of second-placed Wycombe, with Blues boasting a game in hand.Victory was City’s 30th in all competitions as they extended their unbea...
Andoni Iraola refused to get carried away after Bournemouth fans were left dreaming of a potential Champions League adventure following a first league double over south-coast rivals Southampton.Travelling Cherries fans chanted of playing in European football’s premier competition next season after their side soared to fifth spot in the Premier League table thanks to a deserved 3-1 success at...
Norwich head coach Johannes Hoff Thorup praised his side for fighting back to draw 1-1 at Hull after he demanded “I want to see my football team back”.The Norwich boss had some tough words for his team as they trailed 1-0 at half-time to the relegation-threatened side, including for Kellen Fisher – but the player then delivered the assist for Josh Sargent’s equaliser.The Un...
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says Jota has a chance of starting against Bayern Munich after scoring and impressing in a 3-0 victory over Dundee United.Jota earned the club’s man-of-the-match award after cutting in from the left and curling home from 18 yards to double the lead given to the hosts by another impressive finish from Callum McGregor.The Portuguese winger has now started two gam...
