Tottenham Hotspur missed an opportunity to strengthen their attack with the high-profile loan signing of Colombian striker John Duran on transfer deadline day.
It was a hectic final few hours of the winter period, but the north London club ultimately decided to remain with their current team.
Tottenham turn down chance to sign John Duran
Transfer expert Fabrizio Romano revealed on the Here We Go podcast that Duran was offered by Spurs as a “last chance” while trying to shorten his loan spell at Fenerbahce.
The 22-year-old, who made headlines last year with his £64m move to Saudi Arabia’s Al Nasr, has had an impressive career with 54 goals and 15 assists across spells in MLS, the Premier League and overseas.
The opportunity arises from industry speculation that Tottenham could end Randall Kolo Muani’s loan early.
The France international has been heavily linked with a return to PSG or a move to Juventus after he began to take a break from life in London.
“Tottenham have been offered the possibility of signing John Duran, who is on loan from Al Nasr, from Fenerbahce.
“He was offered to Tottenham as a last-minute opportunity for Spurs, but the club rejected it.
“The possibility was raised because some in the industry believed that Tottenham would terminate Randal Kolo Muani’s loan and move him from Paris Saint-Germain to Juventus.
“It was a possibility, but Tottenham decided to stick with Kolo Muani. He started the last two games, so they believed in the player and decided to turn down the opportunity to sign Duran, who was keen on this possibility.”
Manager Thomas Frank reportedly played a key role in the decision, choosing to stay on rather than move on mid-season, despite the team languishing in 14th place.
Duran makes surprise move to Zenit
With the door to the Premier League closing, Duran’s inner circle acted quickly.
Within hours of England’s deadline, it was confirmed that the ‘deadly’ striker had released his contract in Turkey and joined Zenit St Petersburg on loan for the remainder of the season.
| club | app | the goal | assist |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aston Villa | 78 | 20 | 1 |
| Envigado FC | 47 | 9 | 4 |
| Chicago Fire FC | 28 | 8 | 6 |
| Fenerbahce | twenty one | 5 | 3 |
| Al Nasr FC | 18 | 12 | 0 |
| Chicago Fire FC II | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| total | 194 | 54 | 14 |
John Duran’s club career statistics (via Transfermarkt)
The move to Russia becomes Duran’s third club in just 12 months and continues a nomadic period for the former Aston Villa player.
Spurs fans are left wondering if they have missed out on a clinical goalscorer, but club bosses are betting Kolo Muani will finally find his shooting boots as he looks to salvage his season.
