Arsene Wenger admits he was surprised by Jhon Duran's big-money move to the Saudi Pro League during the January transfer window. The Colombian striker, 21, had attracted interest from other Premier League teams during his two-year spell at Aston Villa after bagging a string of impressive goals for Unai Emery's side. Duran scored 12 times in the league during the first half of the season after Villa rejected a big bid from West Ham for his services back in the summer. But they did give him the green light to move when Al-Nassr came calling with a £64.5million offer for the talented frontman during the winter window. And Wenger, speaking during a visit to the club this week, admits Al-Nassr have done well to land a player who has made a big impression in the Premier League. Wenger, now FIFA's Chief of Global Football Development, told Al-Nassr's website: "Duran is a young player. He played at Aston Villa where he was adored and loved. "It was a surprise that during the season, from the Premier League, he moves to the Saudi Pro League. But congratulations, they have done a good job there." Al-Nassr's successful bid for Duran coincided with an attempt from Wenger's old club, Arsenal, to sign Ollie Watkins. But Villa were never going to sell both of their senior strikers, meaning Duran's move ended the Gunners' hopes of signing Watkins. Join the debate! What do you make of Duran's move to Al-Nassr? Let us know here Duran, who scored twice on his debut, follows Sadio Mane in swapping the Premier League for Saudi Arabia. Cristiano Ronaldo became the first global star to make the jump to the Middle East after joining Al-Nassr following his Manchester United exit. And Wenger made a point to sign the club's praises, adding: "For me, Saudi and Al-Nassr have great coaches. They have great players, they have a world figure number one with Cristiano Ronaldo, who is an example for every young player. So the basic ingredients are there to do well and to develop well. "Overall, I would say big club, big players, great staff and, of course, financial potential as well. But more than everything else, it is linked with good decisions and, to me, they make good decisions here." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.