Aston Villa ace warned behaviour could cost him ‘elite’ move amid comparison with controversial figure

Aston Villa star Jhon Duran has been told he must control his emotions or he could follow in the footsteps of Mario Balotelli and be cast away from the top level of European football.

Duran joined Aston Villa from Chicago Fire in an £18million (€21.5m / $23m) deal in January 2023. The striker went on to score eight goals in 37 games last season before being chased by as many as 40 clubs over the summer, as Villa president of football operations Monchi subsequently revealed.

West Ham United pushed hard to land Duran but could not finalise a deal.

The Colombian has moved on quickly from this failed summer transfer and has enjoyed an incredible start to the new campaign, having bagged seven goals in 12 appearances, with several of them brilliant finishes.

Villa know they have a top talent on their hands and have rewarded Duran for his excellent displays with a new long-term contract.

The 20-year-old got on the scoresheet again on Tuesday night, getting the better of his marker and connecting with a Morgan Rogers cross to make it 2-0 in the Champions League against Bologna.

But after being replaced by Ollie Watkins soon afterwards, Duran was seen punching his chair and arguing with Unai Emery’s coaching staff.

Alberto Suarez, who coached the forward at his first club Envigado, has warned Duran that this behaviour could see him go down the same path as Balotelli, despite his obvious talent.

“Here we are very interested in the football player and the human being interests us, when the conflictive ones appear,” Suarez told Colombian outlet Noticias Caracol.

“We have to support Jhon, as a person we do not dedicate much time to him in training, and if we normalise this [his tantrum after being substituted], they will lose him, he will be lost, in Europe they will not tolerate him.

“There are very close examples, like Balotelli, who due to his behaviour distanced himself from the elite of football.

“He [Duran] has the talent, he is ahead in football, but not as a human being. Beyond everything, he is a sensitive human being, a nice person, but he is learning and more so now that he feels the media power multiplied by 1,000.

“I repeat, Jhon is not a bad person, he is a young man who is rebellious. He is 20 years old and has lived for football as if he were already 30. All this is complex for a Colombian.”

Duran future unclear

As Suarez suggests, Duran could seemingly go down one of two different career paths. If he manages to work on his anger and emotions, and keep them in check, then he may end up joining one of the very best teams in the world.

Indeed, Real Madrid, Barcelona, Arsenal and Chelsea have all been named as potential suitors for Duran in recent weeks.

Duran certainly has the potential to become a top-class striker, given he is already netting sensational goals under the age of 21.

However, if the player continues to cause problems both on the bench and in the dressing room, then his career will quickly go downhill.

Emery is a ruthless manager and he will almost certainly get Villa to sell Duran if these tantrums persist.

Balotelli was once a similarly talented youngster. While the Italian played for major clubs such as Inter Milan, Manchester City, AC Milan and Liverpool, he soon gained a reputation as a troublemaker and has resultantly not lived up to his amazing potential.

Balotelli’s last four teams are Adana Demirspor, FC Sion, Monza and Brescia, and he is currently a free agent.

Aston Villa news: Duran price tag, goalkeeper rumour

On Tuesday, it emerged that Arsenal will have to pay £75m (€62.5m / $81m) to sign Duran, as Villa do not want to lose him.

Arsenal and Barca are rumoured to have made contact for Duran but are likely to be put off by this huge price.

Instead, Arsenal are likely to pursue a slightly cheaper option in RB Leipzig’s Benjamin Sesko.

Arsenal are also interested in Villa’s 20-year-old goalkeeper Oliwier Zych.

The Poland U21 international has entered the final year of his contract and this has alerted both Arsenal and Brighton.

Arsenal hope to make Zych their new No 2 behind David Raya. While the Gunners captured Neto from Bournemouth in the summer, he is only on loan, and they need a long-term replacement for the recently departed Aaron Ramsdale.

Zych has yet to make his senior debut for Villa, though Arsenal scouts were impressed by his performances while on loan back in Poland last term.