Jhon Jáder Durán left Aston Villa in the January transfer window, after being linked with multiple clubs from the previous summer onwards.
It looked like the player’s agents were trying to find a lucrative home for the Colombian striker. Al-Nassr turned up, with money to please both Aston Villa and player, and off he went to new horizons.
Since leaving Aston Villa, Durán has scored five goals in seven Saudi Pro League matches, plus a further two goals in three AFC Champions League games.
Al-Nassr sporting director Fernando Hierro has spoken this week about how Saudi football can avoid the pitfalls made by other countries such as China. The idea is to sign young player and then sell them on.
AS Colombia quote Hierro as saying: “We have young players like Durán and others, and that’s important for both investing and selling in the future. This will increase the value of the clubs.
“The Saudi Arabian League invites everyone to come and see the Saudi players. It’s an important project for me, one that must be sustainable, as the World Cup will be held here in a few years. I’m pleasantly surprised, and this is attracting the attention of others.”
Of course the huge issue facing Al-Nassr and other Saudi Pro League clubs who have a plan to sign young players and then sell them on to make a profit, it that they’ve almost always vastly overpaid for them in the first place.
That’s in terms of both transfer fee and salary. Players, such as Jhon Jáder Durán are attracted to Saudi Arabia by the vast finances on offer above anything else. To get someone to pay both a higher fee than paid, or even close to it, plus get anywhere near the salary feels very optimistic indeed.
